Grand Motel Sign (Columbia, SC)

According to The State, in its heyday in the 50s and 60s, Columbia's Grand Motel was truly a grand motel. But like a lot of motels and motor lodges along highways that were replaced by bigger and faster highways in other parts of town, the steady influx of families and travelers eventually dried up and the Grand Motel became home to homicides, drug dealers and users, and prostitution.



But in the late 2000s, a new owner took over, cleaned things up, and the Grand Motel is now more of an apartment complex than a motel. It still has its original kickass sign out front, although according to Debra Jane Seltzer of Roadside Architecture, the star was not part of the original sign.

What To Know Before You Go

GPS Coordinates: (34.037175, -81.004080)
Location: 3003 Two Notch Road, Columbia

Rating