Signature Inn Kokomo, Indiana

aerial imagery courtesy of Bing maps

map graphic courtesy of signature-inns.com at archive.org

Signature Inn built five hotels in 1985, four of them in Indiana.  Three were built in the vicinity of the Indianapolis beltway; this one was built in Kokomo off of what was at the time, US 31.  Interestingly, this appears to the only property that doesn't have an interstate in the vicinity (the closest is 30 miles away).

the front of the building

the building's canopy

Like the other Indiana hotels built in 1985, this hotel had 101 rooms.  I don't know if the enclosed pool was original to the hotel...neither historicaerials.com nor the property records were much help.

looking toward the pool enclosure

Not mentioned in my History Part Two post, but something I stumbled upon while doing some fine-tuning research for this article is that this appears to be another hotel that kept the Signature Inn into the Jameson era.

Though the hotel appears on the Jameson Inns website until 2011, property records show the hotel being transferred to another owner in April 2007 and then again in January 2011.  A Google search on the address turns up the names Best Western and Ramada Inn, along with its current name, Garden Inn.  It's the only still-surviving location that is no longer affiliated with a national brand.

the rear of the building

This is one of a handful of hotels that still retains its original Signature Inn look.

a drive-by shot of the building

sources for this post include the Howard County, Indiana, auditor's website, imagery found on historicaerials.com, signature-inns.com archived at archive.org, jamesoninns.com archived at archive.org, and imagery found through Google Maps and Bing Maps.

Photographs not accredited in their captions were taken by me.  These and additional photos can be found here: Formerly Signature Inn by Ryan on Flickr

Looking at the past 13 months...

This post has nothing to do with the hotels themselves, but as I was preparing the next update, I realized it's been at least a year sine I embarked on this journey.  I went to my photo archives to see exactly how long it had been.

I had known of two locations since the early 1990s, but was never fully aware of how far-reaching the chain was until I saw a billboard one evening as I was driving home from work.

A billboard???

Many billboards back in the day were glued on or painted on; today's are largely some sort of vinyl wrap.  This particular billboard usually advertises a furniture store, but the wrap was missing, uncovering its original message:

The date of the photo was December 3, 2014.  After I found the billboard, I decided to start searching for other locations and what information I could find on the chain.  That made three I knew of, there HAD to be more...

In the months that followed, I found their old website on archive.org, leading me to 24 more of their locations.  A simple "Signature Inn" search online led me to many of the same locations, plus a 28th that wasn't on their site.  I began searching by address to find what the hotels are now and what other names they carried.  I learned that for the most part, county auditor sites are a great source of information (some charge a fee or have limited information; others are a wealth of knowledge).  I eventually decided to begin this blog in order to present what I've learned.  The History of Signature Inn made its debut on June 9, 2015.

As of mid-June 2015, I visited and photographed 17 of 28 locations.  Of the remaining 11, there are seven within a few hours' drive from me that I hope to get to, two that I may never get to, and two that have been demolished.

Also since beginning this project, I managed to find some memorabilia as well.  I ended up with a packet of matches from eBay, and a set of Do Not Disturb signs from a collector of DND signs.

At this point, I am about one third of the way through posting the locations on this blog.  I still expect to feature a new location every two to three weeks, along with any updates as I run across them.

To those that have followed me thus far, thank you!  I hope you have enjoyed what you have seen so far!

Signature Inn Indianapolis East

aerial imagery courtesy of Bing maps

map graphic courtesy of signature-inns.com at archive.org

Signature Inn Indianapolis East was built in 1985, one of five hotels built that year.  It was one of three in the Indianapolis area for the year and by the end of 1985, there would be five Indianapolis locations.  The sixth wouldn't appear until 1996...but that's a whole new post on down the line.

the hotel as it sat in June 2015

the hotel's canopy

the rear of the building

Like the other Indiana locations built in 1985, this hotel had 101 rooms.  As can be seen in many other aerial views I've posted, this one also had an S-shaped pool on the grounds.  I happened to stop by at just the right time, as there was very little activity outside and I was able to snap a quick photo of the pool:

I don't believe this hotel was part of the chain when many of the others became Jameson Inns.  This particular location disappeared from the website between early 2004 and mid-2006.  The property card I was able to dig up on this property wasn't much help.  Historicaerials.com shows that a renovation was done between 2005 and 2010 when it received its current color scheme.  Google Street View from November 2008 shows this hotel being a Best Western, which it still is to this day.

sources for this post include the Howard County, Indiana, auditor's website, imagery found on historicaerials.com, signature-inns.com archived at archive.org, jamesoninns.com archived at archive.org, and imagery found through Google Maps and Bing Maps.

Photographs not accredited in their captions were taken by me.  These and additional photos can be found here: Formerly Signature Inn by Ryan on Flickr

Signature Inn Indianapolis South

aerial imagery courtesy of Bing maps

maps graphic courtesy of signature-inns.com at archive.org

One of five hotels built in 1985 was the location on the south side of Indianapolis.  Signature Inn Indianapolis South had a total of 101 rooms.

the front of the building

the canopy, which still retains the lights & skylights

Looking at historicaerials.com, this building had the classic Signature Inn look until sometime between 2005 and 2010.  Like other locations that were to be re-branded Jameson Inns, I imagine that the repaint took place around the same time as the name change.

This location became a Jameson Inn sometime between 2004 and 2006 and stayed in the chain until November or December of 2012.  It then became a Baymont Inn & Suites.

sources for this post include the Marion County, Indiana, auditor's website, imagery found on historicaerials.com, signature-inns.com archived at archive.org, and imagery found through Bing Maps.

Photographs not accredited in their captions were taken by me.  These and additional photos can be found here: Formerly Signature Inn by Ryan on Flickr

Signature Inn Indianapolis West

aerial imagery courtesy of Bing maps

map graphic courtesy of signature-inns.com at archive.org

The year 1985 had a total of five new Signature Inns being constructed, the most brought into the chain in a single year.  By the end of the year, Signature Inn would consist of 11 locations.  This post focuses on the Indianapolis West location.

Located on the outer edge of I-465 at 38th St sits this 101-room hotel.  A quick look at historicaerials.com shows the building received a paint job sometime between 2005 and 2010.  I can only surmise that the "freshening up" was done around the time the hotel was converted to a Jameson Inn.

Sometime in the mid-2000s, a lot of Signature Inns were switched over to the Jameson Inn nameplate, this one included.  It would remain a Jameson until sometime in November or December of 2012 when it was sold and became a Baymont Inn & Suites.

sources for this post include the Marion County, Indiana, auditor's website, imagery found on historicaerials.com, signature-inns.com archived at archive.org, and imagery found through Bing Maps.

Photographs not accredited in their captions were taken by me.  These and additional photos can be found here: Formerly Signature Inn by Ryan on Flickr

Signature Inn Cincinnati Northeast

aerial imagery courtesy of Bing maps

map graphic courtesy of signature-inns.com at archive.org

Signature Inn's Cincinnati Northeast location was one of two hotels built in 1984 and represents the chain's entry into the Ohio market.  This was the first of five hotels to be opened in Ohio and two in the Cincinnati area (three if you count Florence, Kentucky - the chain did).  According to Signature Inn's defunct website, this hotel has 97 rooms, making it the second smallest in the chain.

Based solely off of what I know about the buildings, this was heavily renovated at some point in its life.  A quick search of historicaerials.com shows that this would've taken place somewhere between 2004 and 2009.

the front of the hotel

the hotel's canopy

Despite the renovations, it's still fairly easy to tell what this used to be.  Among other improvements made, the skylights in the canopy were removed, though one can still see where they would have been.

This hotel has been under a number of different names in the past.  It was sold in early 2002 - the third hotel sold out of the chain and the first once sold since the Jameson merger.  Google Street View from July 2007 shows the hotel as a Quality Inn; a July 2011 capture shows it as a Clarion, and July 2012 shows it in its current branding as a Red Roof Inn.

sources for this post include the Hamilton County, Ohio, auditor's website, imagery found on historicaerials.com, signature-inns.com archived at archive.org, and imagery found through Google Maps and Bing Maps.

Photographs not accredited in their captions were taken by me.  These and additional photos can be found here: Formerly Signature Inn by Ryan on Flickr

Signature Inn Muncie, Indiana

aerial imagery courtesy of Bing maps

map graphic courtesy of signature-inns.com at archive.org

Signature Inn's Muncie location was one of two built in 1984.  With a total of 101 rooms, it was a little smaller than their average size.  Looking at historicaerials.com, their 1992 version shows the pool as being open-air, while their 1998 map shows it under roof.  Property records show improvements done in 1997, so I'm guessing that's when the enclosure was built.

the hotel

On my June 2015 visit, the exterior of the hotel looked much like it would have when it first opened.  Not that I'm complaining.  It appears that some sort of renovation work was going on at the time.

the front of the hotel

This hotel was sold in November or December 2012 and has been a Baymont Inn & Suites since then.

The ell & pool area

the rear of the building

sources for this post include the Delaware County, Indiana, auditor's website, signature-inns.com archived at archive.org, and imagery found through Bing Maps.

Photographs not accredited in their captions were taken by me.  These and additional photos can be found here: Formerly Signature Inn by Ryan on Flickr