Pescack Motel


Front view of the Pascack Motel, displayed on the front of a postcard.

Front view of the Pascack Motel, from a midcentury postcard.

See larger version

Postcard from the Pascack Motel, with handwriting on the back that describes the author's travel plans.

Back side of a postcard from the Pascack Motel, which describes the amenities offered by the motel in the top left corner.

See larger version

Known Name(s)

Pescack Motel (Primary)
Pascack Motel (Secondary)

Address

Rt. 59 Spring Valley Rockland, NY (Primary) (1963, 1964, 1966)
(Junction of Thruway Exit 14, Garden State Parkway, and Route 59, Spring Valley, NY) (Secondary)

Establishment Type(s)

Motel

Physical Status

Demolished

Description

This two-story ranch-style motel was a commercial structure in a commercial district, set back from a major highway. The motel was linear in shape, with the majority of the structure being single-story rooms for rent. The first floor was built close to ground level, allowing guests to drive up to the rooms. Each room had one exterior door and a fixed window near the top of the wall, with five rooms typically in each rental section. The porch ran along the length of the building, with the overhanging gable supported by metal pillars. The two-story central section of the motel was adorned with signs and painted text that displayed the word “Motel.” Amenities at this site included air conditioning, central heat, tile showers, radios, televisions, and a coffee shop.

Detailed History

The first identified advertisement for the Pascack Motel was published in 1952, and featured two white adults smiling on either side of the words “Pascack Motel: Make This A Real Family Christmas.” By 1954, the Pascack Motel was advertising itself as “Rockland County’s Finest Ranch Type Motel” with “modern comforts” such as air conditioning, central heating, and televisions. The Pascack operated as a motel, with an adjoining mobile home parking site, until 1966, when the Pascack was issued an eviction notice and had to relocate from its original site. The former site was reportedly “razed” after this eviction. By 1967, the original location had become the site of the NY 45-59 bypass, and work on the new site came to a halt amid local opposition to mobile homes. 

Related Issues