In the 1950s, the Roanoker Motor Lodge was a popular Williamson Road motel.
Photo above: Ana Morales / Archival Image Courtesy of The Virginia Room, Roanoke Public Libraries
The Roanoker Motor Lodge once had a well-known presence fronting Roanoke’s busy Williamson Road commercial corridor. The lodge took its place alongside a slew of motels along Williamson Road in the 1950s and 1960s, including Howard Johnson, Shangri La and Hitching Post.
Pictured here in 1964, the U-shaped, one-story Roanoker Motor Lodge housed multiple units and a swimming pool, according to an advertisement available through the Historical Society of Western Virginia. Other motor lodge features, according to the ad, were free television, individually controlled air conditioning and electric heat, carpeted rooms, telephones and FM music.
It is unclear when the lodge closed its doors. Currently, its former site at 7645 Williamson Road is vacant, except for a drive-up ATM for the Bank of Botetourt that stands there.
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