The Gull Motel: No More Vacancies

The Gull Motel in happier days

The view on Sunday

It was a little sad to read in the Sandusky Register over the weekend that the Gull Motel in Huron is in the process of being sold to Valley Ford, which is located right next door. Apparently acquiring the motel property would give the cramped Ford dealership a little elbow room. The dealership is already parking some of its inventory in the shuttered motel’s parking lot.

It’s not a done deal yet, but it's very close.

I first wrote about the Gull Motel back in 2013 here, and even interviewed the owner.

The Gull Motel was a familiar and welcome sight to many U. S. Route 6 travelers during the 1960s and 70s. It first opened back in May 1962.

May 23, 1962

The motel’s classic sign was one of those things we watched for as we passed through Huron on the way to Cedar Point.

Although the Ohio Turnpike and State Route 2 had siphoned off much of the through traffic, in recent years the motel was still an economical alternative to the national chains.

It always makes me feel a little wistful when yet another bit of Roadside Americana in our area disappears. The loss of the Gull Motel is not surprising though; perhaps it's a little amazing that the little motel dating back to the early 1960s lasted this long.

Courtesy Huron Historical Society

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Huron has been a regular topic on this blog since its beginning.

I’ve written about the Twine House; the Showboat; Huron’s Main Street; Huron’s Saloon Days; Corky’s Restaurant and Motel; Huron’s street signs; the Huron Harbor Lighthouse; the Frostop Drive-in (with its large rotating root beer mug); and Wileswood Country Store.

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UPDATE (May 2019)
A view from Route 6 of the former Gull Motel property. The motel sign has been repurposed as a sign for the Ford dealership.

The Gull Motel on U.S. 6 in Huron – Then & Now

I saw this postcard of The Gull Motel on Ebay recently, and knew it would make a good candidate for a "Then and Now" shot. Anyone who has driven to Cedar Point along U. S. Route 6 through Huron probably remembers the motel as being located at the west end of the bridge over the Huron River.

1970 Vermilion-Huron Directory ad

I've long admired the classic style of the motel's sign and its great typography. It symbolized a laid-back, beach vacation attitude.

Alas, in recent years the vintage sign has been replaced by a much shorter and plainer sign. Here is a current view (below) of the motel from a week ago.

A current view of the motel from July 3013

Dale Wells, the current owner and manager of the Gull Motel since 2004, explained to me that at some point Huron had passed an ordinance limiting the height of commercial signs, and that the original sign was probably a casualty of it. He said the original sign is still down in the motel's basement. He pointed out that most of the other tall signs visible in the vintage postcard were long gone as well.

A few changes in the local scenery can be seen if you compare the postcards. The brick building housing Artino Ford next door to the west has been painted white.

The 25-unit Gull Motel, which opened on May 23, 1962, has undergone a few changes since then as well, with the upstairs addition being the most noticeable.

The motel has some good online reviews, and looks like a great economical choice if you're looking for a mom and pop place to stay at while visiting Cedar Point and the Vacationland area. Plus, you have the Pied Piper Drive-In right across the street, and Berardi's just over the bridge to the east. What more could you ask for?

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UPDATE (July 31, 2015)
Here's another vintage postcard of the Gull Motel.

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UPDATE (March 15, 2019)

Here's another undated vintage postcard of the now-demolished Gull Motel.