Driving down Monterey Road the other day, I was struck by all of the new construction. Since the early 1960s, the road has been a collection of light industrial businesses along with retail stores, old motels, and an occasional restaurant or house. The old motels have always held the most fascination for me, as they harken back to a day when Monterey Road was a major thoroughfare for travelers.
Monterey Road began as a stage coach route in the 1850s, which connected San Jose to Monterey. The towns of Morgan Hill and Gilroy grew up as stage stops along the route. The road includes portions of the historic El Camino Real (Royal Road) which was a 600 mile road that once connected California's twenty-one Spanish missions. In the early 1900s, the road became part of the state highway system and eventually part of US Route 101. By the early 1980s, US 101 was redirected to a new freeway to the east. Monterey Road continues as an arterial road from San Jose (as a continuation of South First Street where it crosses Alma Avenue) to the south county.
Following World War II, motor courts (motels) with attached cabins began to appear, often with a U-shaped design featuring a central landscaped area or swimming pool. Although many of these motor court style motels are now gone, many still remain in San Jose, with a number of them along Monterey Road.
Then and Now
Other Surviving Motor Courts
Further Reading in the California Room
- Motel California by Heather M. David
- King Library Digital Collections: Motel
- California Room Index: Motels
- California Room City Directories and Phone Books
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