Uptown Motel 106 W. College

The Uptown Motel opened at 106 W. College St. around 1957.  Squeezed into the back lot of the Orpheum Theater, it literally hugged the stage house of the theater offering up only enough space for about 14 rooming units. Even if the rooms weren’t cramped then parking for more car owners than that would have been.

The motel advertised itself as, “In the heart of Marion” and that could not have been more true since they were only one block off the Marion square. They featured TV, phone & piped in music in every room, with Simmons “Beauty Rest” mattresses, a tub & shower in every room and fully carpeted.  Free newspaper & TV breakfast at your door.

Looking back at the use of this space over time, I only found one obvious instance. The location appears to have been used in the 1940’s as G.J. Frick Heating and Plumbing. Frick also owned the Funeral Home nearby on S. Van Buren St.

The motel fell out of favor in the 1980’s likely due to age, parking issues and the downtown area no longer being a hot spot. It was demolished in December of 1990 several years before the Opheum Theater/ Civic Center burned.

(Compiled by Sam Lattuca on 03/12/2013)