The Bel-Aire Manor Motel

The Bel-Aire Manor Motel in Springfield has fascinated me since the early 1980s when I arrived here. Back then, it was more well kept, but little has been done in the ensuing 30 years and now it appears to be a place for the down-and-out to land.

The Bel-Aire has all the quintessential 60s details that I remember so well: the satellite ball with the multicolored spikes evoking Sputnik and the Jetsons, a fountain with a seal shooting water from his mouth (or at least he used to), a in-ground outdoor swimming pool (also not in use), and a sign with a colonial-looking gentleman welcoming you. Even the name of the place, Bel-Aire, is evocative of a simpler time.

There is a move afoot to resurrect this place as a Route 66 Museum. I haven't ever been inside this beautiful landmark, but I am guessing that it would take lots of money to restore it. A grant has been applied for, but in the meantime, occasionally a resident is injured or killed walking across busy 5th Street to the convenience store, and the neighborhood residents don't like the occupants of the hotel -- and I can't say I would either. Still, it would be a shame to lose this weird 60s landmark.