Omaha Exploration

The octagonal motel resembling a spaceship is sure to catch your eye as you pass the intersection of 60th and L Street. I can recall seeing it as far back as the mid-1980s. This is the story of the Satellite Motel.

It wasn’t until after L Street was widened to four lanes that the unusually shaped motel was built on the northwest corner of the intersection, which had been the site of a service station and garage owned by Fred Tex. Tex, it seems, owned a lot of farmland in the area north of L Street.

After Floyd Kidder Sr. married Fred’s sister, Ida, they had a son, Floyd Kidder Jr., who commonly went by Junior. Junior and his brother Gene were well known in the drag race community as they would often race on the strip at Highway 133 north of Irvington. Once referred to as a pioneer in drag racing in the Midwest, Junior alongside his brother took ownership of Fred’s garage and service station.

By the time the city looked to widen L Street, the garage stood in the way. As a result, Junior acquired additional land from Fred so that he could demolish the old one and replace it with a new one on adjacent property to the north. With the leftover parcel of land northwest of the new garage on 60th and L, Junior decided to open a motel. The design would allow him to live in it. The motel was designed by architects Gollehon and Schemmer Inc. after the Kidder brothers first sketched it. The motel opened in 1966 and was constructed with concrete walls and steel doors to minimize the amount of maintenance required.

The motel was built during the space race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. At the time, people were fascinated with the possibility of a moon landing. That as much as anything, I suspect, inspired the design for the motel as well as its name: Satellite Motel. If that weren’t enough to grab the attention of passersby, Junior added a Sputnik-style sign with blinking lights at the ends of the antennae. Unfortunately, the lights were later damaged in a hailstorm. The motto of the space-themed motel was “Designed for Tomorrow, Available Today.”

The center of the motel featured a core that served as Junior’s living quarters. Inside, the first floor of his quarters had a dining room and kitchen, while the second floor, which was only accessible by elevator, contained the bedrooms and bathrooms. The third floor contained the living room and a bar. Surrounding the core were 15 keystone-shaped rooms on the first and second floors. The first-floor rooms were accessible from the outside, while the second-floor units had access to a patio that stretched around the entire building.

Just 11 years after he moved into the Satellite Motel, Junior passed away in 1977 at the age of 55. At that point, ownership of the motel was turned over to his sister Margaret and her husband Joe Kosalka. They continued to operate the motel, which was popular with the Aksarben crowd, tourists, and those drawn to its unique design, until 1986.

Following the Kosalkas, it was sold to independent motel owner Mahesh Patel in 1986. While it seems nearly impossible, I read that he expanded it from 15 to 45 units. The renovation occurred at a time when many small motels were closing due to competition from larger chains. Despite the increased competition, the Satellite maintained a 70% occupancy due to its low rates and personal service. It seems likely that the biggest factor was its design.

2016 interior shots of the Satellite Motel courtesy of Lisa LaViolette in the Forgotten Omaha Facebook group.

Today, the exterior looks largely the way it did when it opened, though it’s likely the interior has changed dramatically due to the expansion and the removal of the core that provided Junior with a place to stay. Despite rumors to the contrary, I don’t believe the top floor ever rotated. While it originally served as a suite, it seems that more recently it has been used as either a storage area or an apartment. While I don’t believe it’s available for rent, how cool would it be if it were a suite?

The Satellite Motel reminds me of the places you see along the Lincoln Highway whose appearance was designed to attract motorists traveling along America’s Highway. Despite being located along a busy stretch of L Street, it still catches your attention on a street surrounded by car lots, gas stations, and fast-food restaurants.

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Sources

• Omaha World-Herald archives
• Satellite or Spaceship in Omaha? | Douglas County Historical Society