Forgotten in the Upper Peninsula: The Beach Motel, St. Ignace

One topic that I always enjoy delving into are the old motels in the Upper Peninsula – you know, the ones that sit along the highway, waiting for weary tourists to stop.

There is one that I find somewhat curious: the AAA Beach Motel, previously called the Saitis Motel, in St. Ignace.

This former motel still sits at the corner of State Street and Antoine Street. The curious part about this motel are the postcards that someone has posted online. Whoever first posted these postcards back-to-back claims they are the same building, but different decades. I’m saying they aren’t the same, but two completely different structures.

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Look closely. The postcard that has the ‘Saitis’ sign is the real photo. The other one has a sign that simply says ‘Motel - Vacancy’. Can you spot the differences?
1) The first card shows a body of water on the right. Looking at the site on Google Maps, the closest body of water is NOT that close.
2) The doors are further apart on the first card, wider apart on the second.
3) The top card shows TWO buildings, the bottom one shows only one.
4) The trees

For the most part, the building looks like it’s been empty for a good number of years – but occasionally there are signs that someone may be living in one or two of the units. Either way, it definitely ain’t a motel anymore.