Sir RuDimar Motel, Anaheim

Well well well, look who's having a birthday. It's GDB friend MS! Sue B. provided this fun scan of a 1956 birthday party. Note to self: buy polka-dotted curtains. You have to take a photo when a kid is blowing out candles on a cake, it's a law that actually goes back to President James Madison. Are the two girls singing "Happy Birthday"? They have glasses of milk, paper bowls with scoops of vanilla ice cream, and tea (or coffee) coups for... something. Bourbon? It goes surprisingly well with sweets. I hope MS has as much fun as these kids are having!

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I decided to scan a few brochures from vintage Anaheim motels; some of the names are familiar, others not so much. For instance, today's brochure is from the Sir RuDimar Motel, located at 615 W. Katella. "1/2 block from south entrance to Disneyland!". I love the sign, with portraying the brave Sir RuDimar in front of a Disney-ish castle. I wondered about the name of the place and truly could find no references that weren't motel related, does anybody know the origins of "Sir RuDimar"? I thought it could be a mash-up of two names. "Rudolph" and... something?? Or perhaps it is a literary reference that escapes me, since I only read romance novels.

Say, this place looks pretty nice! If they have an ice machine, I am definitely staying here. You've got to love that mid-century decor, not exactly beautiful, but somehow appealing in a way. You can walk to Disneyland, but you're also not too far from Movieland Wax Museum, Knott's Berry Farm, and Marineland of the Pacific. 

I wish this brochure had some sort of date indicator, but no such luck. I'm assuming it's from the mid-to-late 1960s, or perhaps a bit later. Among the amenities: a heated swimming pool. Thermostatically controlled heat! Baby cribs. 21 inch TVs in every room (why would you even need a TV that large?). "All rooms on ground floor"... no stairs to climb.

Here's a vintage postcard. I found a 1991 LA Times article about this motel: Owners of the tiny, 26-room Sir Rudimar Motel, situated within Disney’s proposed Westcot Center expansion area, are considering selling the property to an outside group for what could amount to a whopping $142,307 per room.

Sailor Kennedy, administrative partner for the Coachman Patel partnership, said Friday that a group of Los Angeles-based attorneys--reportedly with no ties to the Walt Disney Co.--have offered about $3.7 million for the .75-acre property, which sits on the southwest border of the Disneyland parking lot.

Kennedy declined to identify who made the offer. The nearly 30-year-old Sir Rudimar is one of several properties not under Disney’s control within an area the entertainment company has reserved for a proposed $3-billion, 470-acre expansion.

I'm not sure if the sale went through or not (though it would be hard to resist an offer of $142,307 per room in 1991 bucks); however, the Sir RuDimar Motel was still around in 2002, when an online message board listed it as one of the motels near the park to avoid (along with The Alamo, The Riviera, the Frontier Motel, etc). My guess is that it started out charming and clean, and declined as the years passed, which is kind of sad.

And finally, here's another postcard view, which uses the same photo that we see on the inside of the brochure.

I hope you have enjoyed your visit to the Sir RuDimar Motel!

If it's not raining on my trip, I should be out hiking!