Among the local memorabilia I've collected have been a few matchbook covers. Essentially an extinct means of advertising as of in the twenty-first century, vintage matchbooks can serve as an easy and inexpensive way to get a peek into the establishments and hangouts of the previous century. In most cases, these places are now long gone, but once in a while you come across the rare business that's still operating today in some form. One of these establishments is the old Valhalla of Dallas motel. Once I'd gotten my hands on the matchbook cover and confirmed the motel's continued existence in 2024, I took a trip down to South Dallas for a look.
From what I've found researching historical newspaper archives and city directories, the Valhalla was constructed in 1952 off what was then (and technically still is today) U.S. Highway 77. Located some six miles' driving distance from Downtown Dallas, the motel boasted a total of twenty* air-conditioned units and a swimming pool, and a total of 1.9 acres of land. Electric heat and in-room telephones and televisions were among the advertised conveniences. The long gone A. Harris shopping center, converted by the Dallas Independent School District into Nolan Estes Educational Plaza in 1978 and today the site of Maya Angelou High School, was situated behind the motel, adding yet another draw for travelers who opted to make the Valhalla their home for the night. The overall picture painted is a rosy one of great accommodations and area conveniences. But as demographics changed and money and investment began to leave the neighborhood, it appears that the complex, in keeping with the rest of the area, fell upon less prosperous times. An early 1960s postcard depicts a nice, clean motel with the swimming pool being enjoyed by apparently relaxed and happy patrons. It seems that even by then, the Valhalla was becoming a bit more of a seedier establishment. "It was a great motel for those of us who went to South Oak Cliff High School to have drinking parties on weekends. It was cheap and no one asked questions," remembered one commenter on a 2011 Flickr posting. "It was called The Valhalla back then & was probably a "no tell" motel even back in the 60's," recalled another.
By the 1970s, the Valhalla had become the Interstate. A 1971 Deed of Trust filed with the County Clerk's office lists the grantee as Interstate Motor Lodges, and want ads in the Dallas Morning News from July 1972 and April 1973 seek relief desk clerks for the renamed establishment. A filing was made for a 1,107 square foot sign on the property, still standing as late as 2011 and which still advertised a room rate of $19 for a couple (a highly dubious asking price as of that late date). The Interstate Motel was unfortunately the scene of more than one unfortunate happening over the years. One of the first of these took place in 1969 before the name and ownership change, when three men armed with a revolver robbed the Valhalla of approximately $350, according to a contemporary Dallas Morning News account. Another robbery occurred three months later, with the two perpetrators being sentenced the following year. In 1973, a robbery of $300 took place at the Interstate, and in 1976 yet another perpetrator was arrested following a holdup of the motel and a subsequent automobile pursuit by police.
Today the old motel still stands, operating now as the Yotel Inn after an earlier stint as the Oyo. The $19 room rate advertisement has of course long since disappeared, and, as an interesting aside, the establishment appears to have retained the Valhalla's original phone number from all the way back in the 1950s, at least as recently as the Oyo. Unfortunately, the reviews don't seem to be very good. A quick perusal of online ratings suggests widespread dissatisfaction bolstered by often abysmal guest reviews. An August 2024 ratings average on ChamberofCommerce.com produced an overall 2.9 stars out of 5. A Tripadvisor average during the same time period produced an even more disappointing 1.5 out of 5 stars. While some reviews are favorable, others are so negative that I'm hesitant to quote from them here. The motel complex itself appears from the outside to have held up quite well, comparing favorably to many others I've seen across the U.S. and Canada. Unfortunately, the surrounding area and history of violent crimes may give at least some would-be patrons pause. A CBS News report three years ago identified a nearby apartment complex, only four miles west of the Yotel, as Dallas's top hot spot for violence in 2021. And the motel was the scene of a shooting murder in August 2017.
