Howard Johnson's Restaurants

[HoJofan206]

Here is a picture of the back of the restaurant.  The pic was taken from the 3rd floor of the Comfort Inn.  It show how the Orange Roof was not carried around to the back of the business.

[HoJofan206]

And finally, a few pics of the bar areas seen through the side door of the former HoJo eatery.  Does anyone know if this looks to be of original HoJo style?  I was too young to remember the bar area.....enjoy!

[HoJofan206]

One more bar area shot......

[amesman]

The only original part of that sign for the mexican restaurant is the planter. The actual sign is not original. Also, none of those booths are Landmark Supply furniture. Great pics though! Two Nims style restaurants with the tile(painted though :().

[HoJofan206]

Correct, the planter is the only original part left.  The restaurant used to use the original HoJo frame but it was blown off in a storm years ago.  The second sign was also blow off not to long ago (it can be seen behind the restaurant in the pics from the Comfort Inn) so the sign on top of the planter now is actually the third sign to be on the HoJo planter.....

I didnt know if those seats were original landmark....kinda strange that they were put in after it ended being a HoJo, just meaning they look pretty old themselves......

Will post more pics of HoJo's next time I am in Louisville KY!

[storehistoryguy]

If you've lived in the Montgomery/Bucks County area since at least 1998 you may have remembered the old Horsham Motor. I was originally a Howard Johnson's Motor Lodge until the late 60's. The Horsham Motor Lodge went out of business in 1998 and was abandon until 2002 when it was torn down for a Wawa like the one pictured (but not the same one).


http://www.trenconstruction.com/

[storehistoryguy]

Here is the building in front. Circa 1950.


http://www.orangeroof.org/

[storehistoryguy]

Heres the building in 2001, about a year before being torn down.


http://www.orangeroof.org/

[storehistoryguy]

This one is from the 60's.


http://www.orangeroof.org/

[storehistoryguy]

Here is the old Red Lion Restuarant which still stands today and is still operating. The restuarant was originally owned by Howard Johnson's.


http://www.orangeroof.org/

[storehistoryguy]

Here is another part of Red Lion.


http://www.orangeroof.org/

[storehistoryguy]

This pic is from 1998, around the time they had closed which was in October.


http://www.orangeroof.org/

[storehistoryguy]

By 2000, the place was a real mess of shrubs and trash. The buildings were falling apart as well.


http://www.orangeroof.org/

[storehistoryguy]

More plantlife.


http://www.orangeroof.org/

[storehistoryguy]

Here is part of the Horsham Motor Lodge sign.


http://www.orangeroof.org/

[storehistoryguy]

This pic is very interesting. In the backround of the ladies you can see the old Howard Johnson's sign. I'd say this picture is from the 50's or early 60's.


http://www.orangeroof.org/

[storehistoryguy]

This is the Howard Johnson's that was once in Willow Grove Pa. right next to the Pennsylvania Turnpike. It opened in the early 50's It was later known as The George Washington Inn in the 70's that closed in the early 90's and was knocked down. It was a big empty field until just this year in 2005 as they start construction for a Home Depot. This pic is from the mid-70's, toward the end of it's days of a Howard Johnson's and when it became George Washington Inn.


http://orangeroof.org/

[storehistoryguy]

The swimming pool in the 50's.


http://orangeroof.org/

[storehistoryguy]

The sign to the restuarant.


http://orangeroof.org/

[storehistoryguy]

Here is the restuarant.


http://orangeroof.org/

[storehistoryguy]

A fantastic picture of both the restuarant and the motel.


http://orangeroof.org/

[storehistoryguy]

One more pic of the restuarant.


http://orangeroof.org/

[storehistoryguy]

Hey HojoFan206, you might be interested in this sight! >
http://hojoland.homestead.com/

[HoJofan206]

Thanks for posting those pics storehistoryguy.  I will keep an eye out for other "former" sights so that I may post more pics to be seen.

[storehistoryguy]

Bay City, Mi., closed in 2005.

http://www.angelfire.com/mi4/forgottenmi/misc2.html

[amesman]

Storehistoryguy, just to let you know, the gate lodges featured in your pics, are an early Nim's type Ranch style gate lodge(or a Phase 1 gate lodge(named after the architect Rufus Nims who worked with the company in the 50's, and also created the design for the Phase 2 style restaurant(pictured above, and commonly known in Hojos nomenclature as the Nims type restaurant.).

[HoJofan206]

Is that picture of Bay City from before or after it closed in May?  Does anyone know why the restaurant closed up without any warning? :no:

[storehistoryguy]

Originally posted by HoJofan206
Is that picture of Bay City from before or after it closed in May?  Does anyone know why the restaurant closed up without any warning? :no:

I believe that is just about the time it closed, maybe like within its last week of being in business. I don't know why or what happened to it.

[HoJofan206]

Here are some pics taken from Nashville Tennessee on Jan 15th, 2006.   The first pics are of the Nashville West location perched high atop the hill for all the passing motorist to see.
Notice in this picture, next to the current HoJo Inn sign you can see where the original HoJo Lodge/Restaurant sign has been sheared off.

[HoJofan206]

This restaurant has long since NOT been a HoJo eatery, but on this particular day, was doing a pretty good deal of business.