Host of America Motel
National Register Listing
Street Address:
3245 Rivers Avenue, North Charleston, SC (Charleston County)
Alternate Name:
Star of America
NRHP Nomination
NRHP Maps
Record Number:
S10817710202
Description and Narrative:
The Host of America Motel is the first prefabricated motel in the North Charleston area and an unusual, well-preserved early example of a pre-furnished modular motel, a unique method of construction at the time. Built in 1961 with a front (east) addition constructed in 1966, the two-story modular motel is comprised of stackable, pre-built, and fully furnished units originally produced on an assembly line in Thomson, Ga. It was the first prefabricated motel in Charleston County to also be pre-furnished, and was possibly the first such property in the state and nation. This type of construction would ultimately be hailed as internationally innovative with the construction of Habitat 67, a prefabricated and fully furnished motel comprised of stackable concrete units introduced in the 1967 International and Universal Exposition, a World’s Fair in Montreal, Canada. Today, the motel’s infrastructure and original midcentury design remain intact with minimal alteration. The largest addition to the structure occurred in 1966 with the construction of a Neoclassical Revival façade to house a restaurant and cocktail lounge, both significant to the motel’s commercial and social role in midcentury North Charleston. The addition’s Neoclassical Revival design is also representative of midcentury roadside design at this time in its use of regional architectural styles and materials as inspiration for the overall aesthetic. Listed in the National Register September 25, 2020.
Period of Significance:
1961 – 1970
Level of Significance:
Local
Area of Significance:
Architecture;Entertainment/Recreation
National Register Determination:
listed
Date of Certification:
September 25 2020
