Browse Items (15 total)

Larry Smith, the co-owner and manager of the Blue Top Motel, was an avid Hawkeye fan. In this photograph, he stands with his personal collection of Hawkeye memorabilia, including buttons, a clock, a Herky, and a clown (Wiederrecht-Finke, p. 22).

The back of Lois Wiederrecht-Finke as she studies at a desk in a Blue Top Motel cottage. A rotary phone sits on the desk to her left; a turned on lamp to the right.As a commuter student to the University of Iowa, she stayed at the Blue Top once a…

Judy (Howe) Smith, a co-owner of the Blue Top Motel, sits with a phone to her ear as she looks down at her desk. On the walls behind her is another phone, a file organizer, and two plaques.

Four cottages from the Blue Top Motel sitting in a half circle, surrounded by fully grown trees. The Motel was run by the Smith family for 44 years from the time of purchase in 1952 until December 31, 1996. (Wiederrecht-Finke, p. 6, 13).

The street sign of the Blue Top Motel, alongside 5th Street. Made of wood with a small, shingled roof, the sign reads:

"Blue Top Motel
Cable - TV - HBO
AAA"

Next to the sign is a street lamp; a planter filled with flowers and hanging ivy…

A business card advertising for the Blue Top Motel, which was located in Coralville, Iowa. The text printed in the center of the card states:

"Blue Top Motel
- The Finest -
3 miles west of Iowa City, IA.
1 Block North off Hiway 6
Quiet -…

This mileage sheet was likely given as a resource to guests and potential guests of the Blue Top Motel to show the driving distances between the motel in Coralville and several cities in Iowa, as well as larger cities in Illinois, Nebraska,…

A photograph of the Blue Top Motel. A row of small cottages sit in a line, surrounded by small trees. Some guests sit outside in the sun. A row of flowering bushes stand next to a gravel road.

The Blue Top Motel was originally built and owned by…

A printed document announcing the closure of the local Coralville motel, The Blue Top Motel, by the owners. The document has a border around the edge with embellished corners. A photograph of Larry and Judy Smith is in the center of the page; in the…

William L. Miller sits in a rocking chair outside on the lawn, a smoking pipe balanced in his hands. He wears a long sleeved shirt, a vest, and tailored pants. A house sits behind him, flower pots on the front porch. The grass is patchy, and an area…

A formal portrait of Russell D. Slade, a prominent city resident from the 1950s to the early 1980s.

Russell D. Slade was born December 26, 1934 in Iowa City. He graduated from University High School in 1952. Two years later, on June 28, 1954, he…

Clarence H. Wilson served on the City Council starting in 1962. During his second term, Mayor Robert Schreffler suffered a fatal heart attack. Wilson was chosen to step in to finish the term. He was re-elected as Mayor of Coralville for three terms,…

After serving two years on the City Council, Daniel Ray Fesler was elected as Mayor of Coralville for the 1962-1963 term. Mayor Fesler oversaw the replatting of the cemetery, the appointment of the first City Engineer and Buildings Inspector, and the…

The back yard of the house belonging to J.A. and Genevieve (Nagle) Brandstatter. A shed can be seen attached to several fenced off enclosures. These enclosures hold a number of small dogs.

During the Great Depression, the Brandstatters raised…

Koser's Store, located on 1st Avenue from 1903-1970, acted as both a grocery store and a community center for Coralville residents. Originally called Wilson's Store after store manager Charles Wilson, the name changed when owner Edward Koser took…