Birx Motor-Court
The other day, probably last Monday, as I paraded east on Routes 5&20 toward the PT-gym in Canandaigua, I noticed workers removing the ancient neon-sign pointing to Birx Motor-Court.
Yesterday (Wednesday, November 15) the sign was gone, as were most of the cabins.
It’s the end of an era.
Before the Thruway, Routes 5&20 were the main east-west thoroughfare across Western New York, although they split west of Avon (pronounced “AH-von”) about 12 miles west of here, U.S. Route 20 wandering off to the west-southwest, and State Route 5 going northwest toward Buffalo and Lake Erie.
But they run together east from Avon all the way to Auburn, almost 100 miles.
Small towns have usually sprung up at every major intersection; e.g. Lima (“LIE-ma”), West Bloomfield, Bloomfield, Canandaigua, and Geneva — usually all farm-towns. The highway navigates a huge traffic-circle in Avon around the main square; although Avon also had railroad service, as did Canandaigua and Geneva.
Linda’s parents used 5&20 to get to Rochester when her brother started University of Rochester. The Thruway was open then, but too far north to serve the Southern Tier.
5&20 is a majestically-wide two-lane, probably once three.
It goes back a long way, once an Indian-trail. Shortcuts were laid to cut off dog-legs around Bloomfield. The local roads were a grid, and the original road followed the grid. Bypasses of small towns were also built.
West of Bloomfield the road skirts a deep cut, where the road once went, except that it T’d at a crossroad.
Being a main thoroughfare, the road is lined with old motels, although Birx Motor-Court was not the standard row of sleeping-rooms fronting the highway or at 90°.
Birx was small one-room cabins, although one cabin was two rooms.
Birx became moribund after the Thruway opened, although it stayed open, renting to contractors for weeks at a time.
The Motor-Court was an adjunct to the family-farm. The Birx family found their farm on a main thoroughfare, so erected the Motor-Court to take advantage.
Registration was at the farmhouse.
The farm also suffered a massive fire a few years ago — I think a barn burned down. The hey-pile smoldered for weeks.
Old man Birx died a few years ago; the mighty Mezz did a story. He had been keeping up the Motor-Court, mainly mowing lawns and registering renters.
So now Birx Motor-Court is finally gone. Some of the cabins are intact down the street at an antique-shop.
My wife suggested a savvy person could have made a go of Birx Motor-Court. Advertise it on the Internet as “the last of the ‘50s motels.” A throwback; “spend the night like you did when you were growing up.”
Tunnel Inn is like that; except they had to invest a lot to air-condition and decorate the rooms with mini-refrigerators and cable-TV, etc. Tunnel Inn gets a lot of patronage from railfans like me. I don’t know as Birx would.
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| Birx Motor-Court |
It’s the end of an era.
Before the Thruway, Routes 5&20 were the main east-west thoroughfare across Western New York, although they split west of Avon (pronounced “AH-von”) about 12 miles west of here, U.S. Route 20 wandering off to the west-southwest, and State Route 5 going northwest toward Buffalo and Lake Erie.
But they run together east from Avon all the way to Auburn, almost 100 miles.
Small towns have usually sprung up at every major intersection; e.g. Lima (“LIE-ma”), West Bloomfield, Bloomfield, Canandaigua, and Geneva — usually all farm-towns. The highway navigates a huge traffic-circle in Avon around the main square; although Avon also had railroad service, as did Canandaigua and Geneva.
Linda’s parents used 5&20 to get to Rochester when her brother started University of Rochester. The Thruway was open then, but too far north to serve the Southern Tier.
5&20 is a majestically-wide two-lane, probably once three.
It goes back a long way, once an Indian-trail. Shortcuts were laid to cut off dog-legs around Bloomfield. The local roads were a grid, and the original road followed the grid. Bypasses of small towns were also built.
West of Bloomfield the road skirts a deep cut, where the road once went, except that it T’d at a crossroad.
Being a main thoroughfare, the road is lined with old motels, although Birx Motor-Court was not the standard row of sleeping-rooms fronting the highway or at 90°.
Birx was small one-room cabins, although one cabin was two rooms.
Birx became moribund after the Thruway opened, although it stayed open, renting to contractors for weeks at a time.
The Motor-Court was an adjunct to the family-farm. The Birx family found their farm on a main thoroughfare, so erected the Motor-Court to take advantage.
Registration was at the farmhouse.
The farm also suffered a massive fire a few years ago — I think a barn burned down. The hey-pile smoldered for weeks.
Old man Birx died a few years ago; the mighty Mezz did a story. He had been keeping up the Motor-Court, mainly mowing lawns and registering renters.
So now Birx Motor-Court is finally gone. Some of the cabins are intact down the street at an antique-shop.
My wife suggested a savvy person could have made a go of Birx Motor-Court. Advertise it on the Internet as “the last of the ‘50s motels.” A throwback; “spend the night like you did when you were growing up.”
Tunnel Inn is like that; except they had to invest a lot to air-condition and decorate the rooms with mini-refrigerators and cable-TV, etc. Tunnel Inn gets a lot of patronage from railfans like me. I don’t know as Birx would.
posted by BobbaLew at 4:42 PM
1 Comments:
I stayed at Birx motor court for a week back in 1991 and became friends with Mr, and Mrs. Birx. Very nice people, mr. Birx farmed hay and Virginia "Gen" was her nick name cleaned the cabins. I enjoyed my stay and will always have fond memories of the couple and their farm and motel. Mrs. Birx was quite a character. Lovely people, God Rest their souls, although I don't know the fate of Mrs. Birx, if she has passed or not. They will remain in my memory as will the east and west Bloomfield villages. I was a traveling electrician and did some plating line installations at the Crossman air gun factory. I live in NC. Now.
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