Courtesy of Matt Liverani
Welcome to another installment of White Pine: Then & Now!
In this weeks edition, we take a look at the Main Motel at the east end of Ely’s downtown district. The original photo, which is actually a hand colored photo featured on a postcard, appears to date from around 1954 based on the red car in the parking lot. The motel was built around 1945 by John McKenzie who ran it until he sold it in approximately 1960. Note the bare hillside behind the motel.
In the modern photo, taken December 1, 2024, the motel still exists with very few changes. The most notable of those changes is the addition of the covered entrance and that classic 1950’s sign has been replaced with a much more simplistic one. Beginning around 1965, the motel became a Best Western franchise and remained so until about 2014 when Best Western was dropped in favor of Magnuson Hotels. Remember the bare hillside in the background of the postcard view? That has now been filled with homes that make up The Terrace.
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