
A rare intact motor court in the state, El Patio adopted a Mission style with shaped parapets similar to the Alamo Plaza chain of tourist courts, which had a design based on the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas. The U-shaped court, with its detached office at the center, faces U.S. 11 and offered accommodations that were cheaper and more convenient for automobile travelers than railroad-oriented downtown hotels. Guests park their cars in front of their rooms, which face the court. An expansion to the south, probably from the 1950s, maintained the Mission style.