This spring 1971 image shows not only the iconic Harbor Boulevard Disneyland entrance sign...
but to the right, it features the Saga Motor Hotel.
The address of the Saga was 1650 Harbor Boulevard, which means it is now the Ramada Anaheim Maingate. This explains the tile artwork that could be seen on the back wall of one of the buildings there. The Saga had 100 rooms, a coffee shop, restaurant, cocktail lounge, gift shop, and travel service.
See more Daveland Disneyland Entrance photos at my main website.
I stayed at the Saga Motel several times in the late 1970's early 80's. I've also stayed at the Ramada Maingate. Nowadays it's the Annabella for me.
ReplyDeleteTropical???...Medieval Knight???
ReplyDeleteI was there a great many times - for the Old Movie Theater and Motion Picture Hall of Fame Doug Wright ran in the back corner of the motel. He has some of the original models from King Kong there once. I have an old Register clipping somewhere....
ReplyDeleteGot any photos or info on OMTMPHF?
Darryl - Definitely a case of opposites attracting!
ReplyDeleteJody - Sorry, no photos of that; had never even heard of it.
Thanks for sharing these photos, I've recently became interested in old photos and videos of what Harbor Blvd looked like just before Disney reworked it all which is also a reminder that people didn't take photos and videos of everything like they do now thanks to phones
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this! My mother said she stayed here when she went to Disneyland as a kid in the late 1950s. In 1987, the first time she took us to Disneyland, we stayed here. When we came back the second time, we stayed at the Paul Bunyan Inn. And the third time we stayed at Desert Inn and Suites next door to Bob's Big Boy.
ReplyDeleteMy uncle Sam Denny built the saga in Anaheim. He was the owner and later built the Gala motel in Pasadena. and then he built another gala right next to Hotel Figuroa in LA, which was the oldest hotel in LA at the time.
ReplyDeleteMy uncle Sam got a tip in the early 50s that there was going to be a small amusement park opening in Anaheim on Harbor Boulevard and they then built Disneyland and he had bought that land right across the street from it and built the saga motel
ReplyDeleteIn 1971 I was a Marine at Camp Pendleton. Weekends were Disneyland. (I was 17). We always stayed at Saga. I remember Alma's Coffee Shop had great meals, and sometimes I'd crash by the pool. Lots of lifetime memories made there.
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