Old motels carry a quiet allure. I’ve only stayed in a few but for me, it’s rooted in their ability to evoke a sense of time suspended. Motels are relics of a past from before interstates were the main arteries, back when roadside stops were more than just a place to sleep. Just outside of Fortville, the old Colonial Motel still speaks to an era of family road trips and weary wanderers searching for an affordable place to rest. Unfortunately, reality differs these days.
I used to drive by the Colonial Motel on my way home from band practice and have long wondered about its story. As it turns out, it dates back to 1953 when the place opened under the ownership of John and Mildred Ward. Herbert and Bonnie Kroeckel served as the motel’s first managers, and I gather that they lived in the top of the two-story portion. Early on, the Krockels operated a novelty shop in the motel’s lobby that featured items of local craftsmanship, such as dolls made by Fortville’s own Gladys Anderson1.
The Colonial Motel’s grand opening was a big deal for tiny Fortville, where about 1,700 people lived at the time. “Fortville now has a twelve-unit motel,” declared Dick Martin of the Fortville Tribune, “which will stand comparison with any that I have encountered in a good many thousand miles of touring the country.”
“With an establishment as elaborate as the Colonial Motel located on a highway as busy as Road 67…it seems almost superfluous to wish the enterprise good luck, Martin continued. “It should be an immediate success2.”
I wonder whose brother Dick Martin was! Still, compared to other basic motels of the time, the Colonial was elaborate. It featured an imposing portico supported by four square columns and framed by two red-brick wings, elements straight from Colonial Revival architecture. The style had became particularly popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries after the Centennial Exposition of 1876 ushered in a renewed interest in American heritage3.
Colonial Revival architecture remained fashionable through the 1930s, when the Great Depression and changing artistic inclinations simplified the style to what we usually see today4. Structures built after 1945 or so featured less ornamentation than their progenitors and tended to be “more assembled than crafted5,” but the Colonial’s architects embraced its name and concept. I’ve never seen another motel quite like it.
William Stutsman purchased the establishment from the Wards a few years after it opened. Unfortunately, tragedy struck during his stewardship: in 1962, the Colonial was substantially damaged in a fire that originated in the Stutsmans’ kitchen! The blaze was brought under control by fire departments from Pendleton and Fortville in an hour, but not before the fire ruined much of the Stutsmans’ apartment. Fortunately, none of the motel’s guest rooms were harmed6.
William Stutsman got out of the motel business in 1968 when he sold the Colonial to Harold McCullough of Indianapolis7. The following year, postcards advertised twelve “beautiful” units with central heat; tile bath, tub, and shower; Beauty-rest mattresses; air-conditioning; and a TV in each room.
From there, the history of the Colonial gets a bit hazy. Hiralel Patel owned the place in 19748, but Jack and Bev Falkenberg owned it shortly afterwards. Wilbur and Ann Elder of Versailles purchased the Colonial in 1979, and announced their intent to “provide the same friendly and courteous service that has been offered by the Falkenbergs” in a newspaper ad9. The Elders even reopened the motel’s gift shop, selling unique flower arrangements and hand-crafted jewelry.
I don’t know who owned the motel from 1979 to 1984, but the Colonial was eventually expanded to the northeast before it was significantly damaged in another fire10. Eventually, ownership transferred to Robert and Judith Ferryman, but today, an entity called Colonial Rentals, LLC pays the property taxes11.
It’s probably a bad thing when a company with the word “Rentals” in its name takes over ownership of a classic motel. Unfortunately, my suspicions were confirmed when I checked out the Colonial on Facebook as I prepared this post. I saw a page description that read “motel that only rents weekly and monthly.” Oof.
It’s a shame that old motels, once integral to the American road trip, have been overtaken by big-box hotel chains and converted into weekly or monthly rentals. Places like the Colonial, with their unique charm and local heritage, offered a unique sense of discovery and connection to the places travelers passed through. Now, many stand as symbols of economic hardship. The personal touch and history that made most motels special may have been lost, but Fortville’s old Colonial Motel still stands as a reminder of a bygone era of travel.
Sources Cited
1 Martin, D. (1953, May 21). The Fortville Tribune. p. 1.
2 (See footnote 1).
3 Gyure, D.A. (2000). The Colonial Revival: A Review of the Literature. The University of Virginia [Charrlotesville]. Web. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
4 City of Anaheim Architectural Style Guide: American Colonial Revival (2020). Architectural Resources Group. City of Anaheim Planning and Building Department [Anaheim]. Web. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
5 Colonial Revival Style (1880-1955). Wentworth Studio [Chevy Chase]. Web. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
6 Fire Damages Fortville Motel (1962, February 15). The Lapel Review. p. 7.
7 Colonial Motel Sold To Indianapolis Family (1968, April 4). The Fortville Tribune. p. 18.
8 Town board back in business (1974, February 28). The Fortville Tribune. p. 16.
9 Colonial Motel (1979, October 11). The Fortville Tribune. p. 2.
10 Colonial Motel Sustains Damages (1984, July 31). The Fortville Community Shopper. p. 1.
11 Parcel 32-06-30-200-006.000-002 (2024). Office of the Assessor. Hancock County [Greenfield]. Web. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
The architecture of this place reminds me a lot of the Lincoln Lodge in Clark’s Hill, Indiana along U.S. 52 between Lafayette and Lebanon. It seems to survive by a similar method.
I looked it up. Very similar!!