Pin Oak Motel

The Pin Oak Motel's name came from the Pin Oak trees surrounding the area. It was built by John Kovak in the early 1940s and originally featured cottages separated by carports. The motel was later owned by Charles W. Swinney. The heavily modified building shown above was the office building and stands at the front of what was a courtyard between the guest units.

The property is located at the far western edge of Villa Ridge.
GPS: 38.444364, -90.906586

An early postcard states that there were 20 "clean modern units". By the time a mid-50s postcard was published the motel had apparently received a number of upgrades like free air-conditioning, free TV, Panel Ray Heat as well as having the number of units increased to 28.

The concrete block cottages were covered with vinyl siding in the mid 70s. It was converted to a self-storage facility sometime before the early 90s. All that's left is the building above a some concrete slabs where the cottages stood.

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Vintage Advertising Highlights

PIN OAK MOTEL
28 Clean Modern Units
Air Conditioned
Located on Hwys. 50 & 66.
40 Miles West of St. Louis, Mo.

NOTE: At 28 units this was a fair sized motel for the time and location.

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Photo(s): 2018