Arizona Contractor & Community Fall 2015 V4 I3 | Page 59

The location is perfect; it’s a short walk
to Prescott’s courthouse square, but far
enough away to be a quiet getaway. For
even more solitude, The Motor Lodge has
added two new dwellings to its repertoire
of accommodations. Its 13th room, “The
Hideaway,” is a special retreat tucked in
Opposite page: The Motor Lodge, 2015.
Opposite page, bottom right: Motel coowner Brian Spear.

back, facing a grove of pine trees. A few
blocks south is the “Hill House,” a beautiful
home offering even more privacy.
Brian and Joe’s success at The Motor
Lodge is well-deserved, and it just might
inspire others to brave a motor court
restoration, the way a strong drum
cadence emboldens some. So here’s to
you, Brian and Joe, for making The Motor
Lodge something great and for making
Prescott an even cooler place to visit.

The Motor Lodge’s Roadside Allure

A

n eye-catching neon sign is a must for
any hip motel and The Motor Lodge in
Prescott is no exception. When the new
owners, Brian Spear and Joe Livingston, set
out to create an unforgettable roadside
accommodation, high on their list was an
evocative neon sign. Who to turn to was a
no-brainer: the A & B Sign Company of
Prescott, which had also built the
property’s original Prescott Motor Inn
Motel sign.
“It was nice to work on The Motor
Lodge’s new sign since my father, Arnie
Wieweck, manufactured an earlier sign at
the motel,” Perry Wieweck, the sign
company’s former owner, says. Perry sold
the business to his son, Bryan Wieweck,
five years ago. But he’s still the company’s
neon expert, and came out of retirement
to work on the sign for The Motor Lodge.
“They [Brian and Joe] really
appreciated what we did with the sign and
it was great working with them,” Perry
says. “They’re great guys and it was a thrill
to do the job. So many customers just want
the cheapest sign. These people knew
what they wanted, and we produced it.
And we are really impressed with what
they’ve done with The Motor Lodge.”
For more than 60 years, the A & B Sign
Company
has
been
designing,
manufacturing, and servicing signs in
Prescott, the Verde Valley, Sedona, and
along Route 66 stretching from Holbrook
to Kingman. The majority of neon work the
company performs these days involves
servicing historic signs, since most
communities have ordinances that prohibit
larger, animated signs.
The vintage glow and flicker of even a
smaller neon sign, however, carries an
allure that is still highly sought after in spite
of
increased
manufacturing
and
maintenance costs. And no one
understands this neon attraction better
than the owners of The Motor Lodge.
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