All these pictures I took were from a moving car, so I couldn't exactly get the composition perfect. And in this one I got photo-bombed by a tractor trailer.

Another derelict motel on highway 301 in Maryland, the Shine Inn Motel. Very cool design to this one. Definitely mid-50's in terms of its build date, possibly later. Sign has been altered. The top portion would have originally been neon like the rest, the plastic back-lit letters being added later (maybe as a result of the name being changed or just an attempt at updating the look of the sign). I actually found out there's a name for this sort of architectural style, Phony Coloney. A 1950's era take on American colonial architecture, one of many styles used during the golden age of motels.

This stretch of highway was bypassed awhile back, killing many of these motels as travelers were rerouted to bigger newer chain hotels along the off-ramps of the new highway. They were also hurt by the highway beautification act, which essentially banned them from advertising on the new roads. Other businesses like gas stations and souvenir shops also suffered.

Update: This motel is currently being renovated into low income housing.