These are simply the best posters available! You will be thrilled with the image quality, vivid colors, fine paper, and unique subjects. This is an original image that has been transformed into a beautiful poster - available exclusively from Posterzilla.
OUR POSTERS ARE SIZED FOR STANDARD OFF-THE-SHELF FRAMES, WITH NO CUSTOM FRAMING REQUIRED, PROVIDING HUGE COST SAVINGS!
This beautiful WPA-style reproduction poster has been created to showcase the classic features of famous Wigwam Motel on Route 66, in San Bernardino, California.
The vibrant colors and detail of this classic image have been painstakingly brought back to life to preserve a great piece of history.
The high-resolution image is printed on heavy archival photo paper, on a large-format, professional giclée process printer. The poster is shipped in a rigid cardboard tube, and is ready for framing.
The 13"x19" format is an excellent image size that looks great as a stand-alone piece of art, or as a grouped visual statement. These posters require no cutting, trimming, or custom framing, and a wide variety of these frames are readily available at your local craft or hobby retailer, and online.
A great vintage print for your home, shop, or business!
HISTORY OF THE WIGWAM MOTEL ON ROUTE 66 IN SAN BERNARDINO
The Wigwam Motel in San Bernardino, California—technically known as Wigwam Village #7—is an iconic Route 66 roadside attraction built between 1947 and 1949. It represents the final and largest of seven original teepee-shaped motel villages constructed across the United States.
Developer Frank Redford came up with the idea for teepee-shaped structures in the 1930s after seeing a unique ice cream stand in Long Beach, California. Redford patented his design in 1936. He built or licensed seven "Wigwam Villages" stretching from Kentucky to California.
Despite being named "Wigwams" (which are historically dome-shaped structures), the rooms were built to resemble Native American teepees. When Redford initially submitted his plans, San Bernardino city officials rejected them, famously labeling the project "atrocity architecture.” Because of the rejection, Redford built the motel right on the city border. While it sits entirely inside the city limits of San Bernardino today, it was assigned a Rialto mailing address, creating long-standing location confusion. Village #7 opened for business in 1950 with 19 standalone, 30-foot-tall concrete and stucco teepees arranged in a double row.
Like many historic Route 66 landmarks, the motel suffered heavily when the modern interstate highway system bypassed local business routes.
By the late 20th century, the village fell into serious decline. It operated as a gritty, short-stay motel that leaned into a risqué reputation, advertising to passing motorists with a sign reading "Do it in a Tee Pee". In 2003, the Patel family bought the property and heavily invested in restoring the village to its historic glory. In 2012, the property achieved formal recognition and was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
