Ashes of the Skyline Motel - Mounds View, MN

The Mounds View (MN) Fire Department used the former Skyline Motel as a training exercise, on August  27, 2019. 

Which would have been the same day I was seeing Weird Al Yankovic at the Minnesota State Fair!

The shuttle bus I rode to the Fair, drove right by the motel on Interstate 35W. Likely around the time that the fire was intentionally set. Lack of foresight had me sitting on the opposite side of the bus. So I couldn't see anything, if there was anything to see.

A few days later, I was given the motel fire news via phone call, while in the self checkout lane at the neighborhood LoweDepotNards. My parents were out on their weekly drives around Minnesota and saw the ashy cremains of the Skyline Motel. I always appreciate the hot tips!

(That was really lame...)

The next afternoon being Labor Day, I decided that I needed to drive out for pictures. Plus it would allow the chance to see some of the other abandonments along the County Road 10: Crapids to 35W route. Like Jimbo's, ABC Liquor, Simon's Sport Shack and Mattress Giant!

The original motel structure, built in 1958, was made of cinder block. These walls were charred, but intact for the most part, when I showed up to check the place out. The roof was missing however.

A two level house looking building used to stand in front of the Motel. It was obviously newer and more wood-based, than what was left semi-standing.

To the Google Machine!

The street view (facing east in this screen capture) feature has a nice clear shot of what the Skyline Motel used to look like. Back In October 2017. Long before the fire and long after it's peak.

Looking back from further down the road, you can see a more recent addition behind the Skyline. Like the house, these additional rooms were wood framed.

Doing some quick online research, I found that the city of Mounds View purchased the Skyline Motel in March of this year. They plan to redevelop the land for a new, larger and cleaner hotel. Able to serve area businesses by offering more than the cheap motel trifecta of Meth, Bedbugs and Whores.

Not much was left of the wood parts of the Motel. Just an ash filled swimming pool filling the foundation.

Some window frames are sitting bent on the steps out front.

Behind the Skyline was a storage shed. This was also burned in the training fire. For some reason, I didn't take better pictures of that particular ash pile.

Looking back again towards the back of the cinderblock parts.

Not much left of the southern-most past of the Skyline.

Big fan of that burned hole in the half-a-door...

Looking northwest over the debris.

On the day of the fire, the Mounds View Fire Department posted this picture of the back rooms, to their Twitter account.

This picture too...

While I'd known of this place for decades, I never thought to take pictures of it until about a month ago. I drove by and saw the motel was undergoing pre-demo prep, but it was dark because it after midnight. So taking any photos was out...

The Skyline Motel made my list of places to visit that night. Unlike when I was living in Denver, I don't go out every week to look for abandoned buildings. My current schedule doesn't work out for that in Minnesota.

Regardless, I missed getting pictures of the Skyline Motel while it was still intact. So I definitely needed to document before the fire damage was cleaned up.

Because I need pictures like this!

Here's the foundation of the house, now a larger ash swimming pool.

With some not as burned parts in the shallow end.

Continuing around what's left of the house...

Stepping back to show the large and charred beam sticking out of the fallen bricks.

Apparently the fire department didn't need to practice on the bird baths.

Those were left untouched.

Obviously the electricity to the motel was cut before the fire, but I didn't expect it to have been literally cut. These severed wires were just laying on the ground. By the bird baths.

I'm not sure what year the Skyline Motel changed to this sign. It's very bland and boring. Would much rather have gotten a picture of their original sign...

Thanks Yelp! for not updating the image on your review page. While not as interesting as many other 1950's style motel designs, this was a lot better than it's final choice in identity.

Another birdbath shot.

Yet another birdbath shot.

Foundation of the house.

Rooms closest to the house.

And the rest of what remained standing...

Looking south past the rooms. Old Highway 8 is on the left side of picture.

To the left of that is Interstate 35W. 

But you can't see it!

The north side of the Skyline. I should have taken a close up of that cool charred beam.

Some more debris laying north of the motel. For some reason this last room is completely destroyed. Looking back at the Google Maps picture at the beginning of this story, it looks different. So I'm guessing it was an addition framed by wood. Explaining the reduction to dust shown here.

The foundation does extend out further than the cinder block motel. So clearly this was a more recent addition. Ironically, it fell sooner than the older part.

Oh, and there's Interstate 35W in the distance!

While most of the motel burned down to just ash, there were still some recognizable pieces scattered about. Like this flipped over drawer! And the flipped over double sink! Not that anyone would ever use these things again, here they are... Somewhat survivors!

This toilet was not as lucky…

Some charred air conditioner pieces lie underneath a small bit of tagging. There wasn’t a lot of graffiti on the motel. Or maybe there was and it was just burned up? Hard to say since I didn’t make it here for pictures before the fire...

Continuing on behind the motel…

About at the end of the building now, I’m going to cut through the wide open burned out back door and take a look at the interior of one of the larger rooms. Well, what’s left of it…

Through that open door is a well done water heater. I’m guess the strange pattern on parts of the wall was once some tacky wallpaper.

And this is where patrons of the Skyline Motel used to poop and pee. The toilet was probably intact back then. However, there is still a rack to hang your towel from. Although I’m betting the shower no longer works. It probably didn’t work that great before the fire either...

Nice wide open room!

Another smaller room with a few partially burned beams laying on the floor. Which was almost completely covered with small rocks. I’m not sure where all the rocks came from. Unless the roof used to consist of thousands of rocks, now fallen to form a new floor.

As I mentioned earlier, there weren’t a lot of surviving artifacts leftover in the ashes. Curiously, this Xbox 360 UFC game was laying unburned in on of the rooms. Not even warped from the heat, the back was scratched beyond any chance of readability. But it was likely frisbee'd in from a passing car on Old Highway 8.

I wish this picture would have turned out in focus.

Here’s the most intact area of the entire motel! 

This bathroom still had a complete window and a small part of roof over it!

Big fan of the collapsed wall in this room!

Which would have been inside these missing doors and windows.

More motel debris spilled out into the parking lot… 

There is a make-up compact, piece of lamp, belt and shirt (?) amongst the partially burned wood scraps. 

Another toilet with a burn wound sits underneath rolled up ugly burned green carpet.

One last look at the larger rooms by the house foundation.

Thanks Skyview Motel. I have no history here, but it was cool seeing what was left of you.

If the city of Mounds View has it’s way, a brand new multi-story extended stay hotel will be built on your grave.

Which won’t be nearly as cool to look at.

But what about the meth, bedbugs and whores?

Oh well..