At the side of the 8 Freeway in El Cajon lies one of the last historic roadside neon signs in our region. The Fabulous 7 Motel, and its sign have been on a long journey to arrive at where they are today. The original hotel sat on the same location as ECTLC or the East County Transitional Living Center (ECTLC) does today, in El Cajon, California.
But Main Street was not always Main Street – it was originally Highway 80 which stretched from San Diego to Yuma, Arizona which replaced the original plank road that crossed the desert sand dunes of Imperial County.
In the 1960s, the hotel used the name “Fabulous Five-Seven Motel.” The reason for this name was simple – one guest was $5, while two, three or four guests were $7! The motel was described as modernist and geared to families embarking on road trips. At some point in time, the $5 room rate went away, so the hotel evolved in its name. What was once the “Fabulous Five-Seven Motel” became the “Fabulous Seven Motel”.
It was at that time that the hotel saw the opportunity to build a new sign next to the new freeway. This was the birth of the Fabulous 7 Motel neon sign. At some point much later in time, the hotel was eventually abandoned.
In 2004, ECTLC was established, and they converted the Fabulous Seven Motel into a homeless shelter and recovery center. The Fabulous 7 Motel neon sign fell into disrepair.
Now, a plan for the restoration has been set in motion!
The sign will be restored by The San Diego Air & Space Museum, whose staff and volunteers have experience working on aircraft- so the structure, surface and paint will be expertly restored. The electrical and neon tubing will be replaced and rewired by Neon Jungle, an El Cajon based company with more than 30 years of experience with neon signs.
The repair and restoration will take one year to complete once all the funds have been raised. The Fabulous 7 Motel sign will then once again illuminate the Southern California night and be an exciting roadside landmark – the last original roadside neon motel sign in San Diego. We are excited to see this sign become a thing of beauty, a local landmark and a piece of our region’s history. We will preserve roadside Americana, beautify East County and help ECTLC increase awareness- a win for all.
We need your financial support to make this a reality!
Photos of Fabulous 7 Motel Neon Sign
