The Motel Phyl-Nor

By Harrison Power

With North 9th Street previously serving as the main route for Highway 99 through Modesto up through the 1960’s, it is not surprising that at one time this stretch of the city was dotted with motor hotels to serve the out-of-towners stopping in Modesto for a rest, and restaurants like the legendary Burge’s Drive In. One of these motels, a holdover from the height of automobile travel, is what’s now operated as the Travelers Motel. In its heyday this motel was the Motel Phyl-Nor, and it was the pride and joy of the Anderson Family who built it, serving weary travelers and making Modesto itself a road trip destination.

Aner and Hallie Anderson had some experience in motel operations, as in the 1930’s they owned and ran the Anderson Motor Court on Highway 99 one block south of the bridge and River Road. The Anderson Motor Court consisted of three cottages and in 1936 Aner, a Swedish-born entrepreneur, added The Orange Bowl as a roadside refreshment stand where you could enjoy fresh orange juice and ice cream. It’s even reported that Clark Gable and Carole Lombard had stopped in on their way back down to Hollywood. In 1944 the Andersons, along with their son, left the modest motor court to expand the business and built a larger motel on North 9th Street. The new location was named the Motel Phyl-Nor, a sweet homage to the two Anderson children, Phyllis and Norman. The Andersons, as trends changed and technologies improved, built on their