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Preservation groups race to save Modern Air Motel neon sign after developer buys Springettsbury site
Summary
At a Springettsbury History Night presentation, chairman Steven Smith said a developer purchased the Modern Air Motel property for $875,000 and plans eventual demolition; Preservation Pennsylvania and the Lincoln Highway Association have raised $9,150 toward sign restoration and need $5,850 more to complete work.
Steven Smith, chairman of the Springettsbury Township Historic Preservation Committee, told History Night attendees that the Modern Air Motel — a 1949-era, midcentury motor court on East Marcus Street — closed in 2024 after a group purchased the 1-acre property and plans to demolish the building.
"The modern the motel closed last year in 2024 after the group interested in developing various properties at that corner . . . purchased a 1 acre property on which the motel sits for $875,000," Smith said, summarizing the sale and the developer's plan to remove the structure. He added the purchase prompted preservation interest in the site's iconic neon sign.
Local preservation organizations have launched a fundraising campaign to salvage and restore the Modern Air Motel sign for display. Smith said the Pennsylvania chapter of the Lincoln Highway Association partnered with Preservation Pennsylvania to manage the campaign and that the developer permitted removal of the sign in November. "Presently, 9,150 has been raised, and 5,850 is still needed to complete the work," Smith said, referring to dollars raised to date and the remaining goal. Restoration work is underway at a Mundorf Sign Company facility in West York; organizers plan to relocate the sign to the Agricultural and Industrial Museum of the York County History Center once refurbishment is complete.
Preservation Pennsylvania is listed as the fiscal manager for donations. Smith provided a QR code at the talk and also advised attendees that searching for "save modern air sign" on the preservation group's website will direct prospective donors to the campaign page. The presenter said restored neon will be displayed publicly when funding allows.
The preservation effort follows a township recognition of long-time motel stewards: Smith noted that the Springettsbury Township supervisors presented a 1994 proclamation to Bob and Deb Strahl "for their faithful preservation of the modern era motel." The developer's stated timeline for demolition and any planned reuse of the parcel were not specified during the talk.
What happens next: organizers will continue fundraising for the sign's restoration, and the Agricultural and Industrial Museum will be the intended permanent display location if the campaign reaches its funding goal. Smith invited attendees to donate and asked whether there were questions at the end of his presentation.
