Dingbat court? No...

December 3, 2018 9:59 AM

MetaFilter taught me about dingbats and bungalow courts, but is there a name for this common 50's / 60's apartment/motel style?

Two stories, L-shaped, boxy construction without interior hallways. Probably named "Aloha Court" or "Camelot Arms" or something. My link goes to the first one I could think of on Google Maps, although it's not the finest specimen. The nicer ones have landscaped courtyards instead of parking lots inside the "L".

posted by qxntpqbbbqxl to Society & Culture (3 answers total)

Best answer: I believe these may have originally been called 'motor courts'. Currently, they're 'motels', which are distinguished from 'hotels' by the lack of interior hallways.
posted by hydra77 at 10:21 AM on December 3, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Yeah, this is motor court / motel architecture. The nicer ones probably had parking at one point. The main evolution was from the chalet/cottage-terrace model (e.g. Col. Sanders's court and cafe) to a boxy construction with a second storey.
posted by holgate at 11:11 AM on December 3, 2018 [1 favorite]

Motel = MOtor hoTEL
posted by Thorzdad at 7:54 AM on December 4, 2018