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The Segna Motel and California Garage - The Segna's Motel and California Garage was established in the early 1920s by Domenic and Sylvia Segna. It was located on Historic Route 99 (13930 Valley Boulevard, Fontana, California), operating from 1920 to 1975. In the 1920s, the Segna's property included grape vineyards and was located just a few blocks south of Wade Hog Farm (also known as Fontana Farms Company), which operated from 1920 through 1942 when Henry J. Kaiser purchased the farm to build the Kaiser Steel Mill (Dias, 2022). The Segna's business evolved and expanded accordingly, serving the community, Kaiser Steel, and other community efforts during the Great Depression and World War II. The Segna's was also the community hub of a small Tyrolean Community that also included the Zanella, and DeCarli, families, which immigrated from Trentino-Alto-Adige, the Dolomite Region in northern Italy. This community was primarily grape vineyards during these earlier times.

The Segna's Motel and California Garage (included gas, car repair and towing services), expanded later in the 1930s and 1940s, included a new "California Garage" building, an expanded Spanish Mediterranean home, which matched the 1920 style motel and gas station. The gas service station was also expanded to include an Italian family bar and restaurant, gift shop, bocce courts, and the Segna Dance Hall, which served the greater community, but also travelers on Route 99.

The Segna Dance Hall was a community dance hall that held a capacity of under 500 attendees. It hosted current dance styles in the 1920s such as the Charleston and Foxtrot. It also hosted a variety of regional Western, Spanish, and Mexican traditional and social dancing. The Segna's was also known for its large-scale Tyrolean Picnic's, cultural festivals, and weddings, that were held outdoors on their property that commonly hosted 500 to 1000 people. The bocce courts, their Italian family bar, pool, motel, gift shops of imported items, and a welcoming eating establishment to cater to the community, and travelers, were all part of the welcoming Tyrolean charm of the Segna family.

The Segna's roadside services were fortunate to survive during the Great Depression due to their immigrant roots to evolve and serve the community. During World War II, they also evolved to provide services. This included converting the Segna Dance Hall into a dormitory for Kaiser Steel Mill workers. As they continued to thrive by serving this Tyrolean community, but also the greater region and travelers. During this time of the 1940s, the Segna's also became a casual stop for Hollywood actors, traveling to and from Palm Springs, since the roadside stop was about halfway between.

The Segna bocce courts were a common retreat for socialization and connection for the locals, but also the region, to competition. The Segna's also served beer at the bocce courts, a common historically Tyrolean theme tied to the family's strong Tyrolean roots.

The Segna home, the Spanish Mediterranean home that was built in 1920, with a unique history, designed by Domenic Segna's friend Frank Zamboni, which was a common 1920 architectural style, common among Hollywoodland at the time. The Segna motel, also of the same architectural style, included many of the 1920 characteristics of classic roadside stops. These were often called motels, cabins, or cottage courts, which the Segna's referred to as "cabins". While having a Spanish Mediterranean architectural design, each cabin was connected but separated by its own parking garage next to the cabin, with a small lawn and landscaping, a bedroom, living area, kitchenette, and bathroom. All connected by its own small road that went around the property along the Dance Hall and behind the Segna Home.

The Segna gas and car service station, referred to by the Segna's as "the store", was also a complementary Spanish Mediterranean architectural style, which changed over time with period-style gas pumps, and the expansion of the building. It included the Italian family bar, a community and traveler-hub of activity. Domenic and Sylvia Segna served fresh coffee and fresh baked goods in the morning, catering to workers and travelers. In the afternoon and evenings, a variety of sandwiches, panini, snacks, soda pop, etc., including Po-Boy's (short for "poor boy"). While Po-Boys, which were created in 1929 by Bennie and Clovis Martin in New Orleans, were not Tyrolean, Domenic enjoyed serving different foods to pair not only with their beer-on-tap, but also for families (Mizell-Nelson, M. & Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, 2013). The Italian bar also included imported gifts that were hung throughout the red oak walls and within the oak glass viewing cabinets. The bar was about 75 feet in length, with bar stool seating, with tables and dinettes in the rear, that also included music and dancing in the evening. The "store" was a hub for community services from cashing checks for Kaiser Steel Mill workers, to the greater community and travelers.

The property, and community, was surrounded by active, producing, grape vineyards. More closely around the gas station and Segna home were lawns, gardens, roses, and a pool in the back of the property. The Segna Motel and California Garage, a classic 1940s neon sign with dark blue background, stood proudly in the front of their front parking along Route 99, a welcoming roadside stop for travelers and the community.

References

Dias, R. A. (2022, December 16). History of Kaiser Steel in Fontana is told in new book. Fontana Herald News. https://www.fontanaheraldnews.com/opinion/history-of-kaiser-steel-in-fontana-is-told-in-new-book/article_2f710c70-7d7b-11ed-b569-4be56ef1099d.html

Mizell-Nelson, M. & Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities. (2013, September 23). Po-Boy Sandwich. 64 Parishes 2026. https://64parishes.org/entry/po-boy-sandwich?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=19552185350&gbraid=0AAAAApCZt2PzP9ktYaPUq9ot-xrjbi0ng&gclid=CjwKCAjw1IHTBhAaEiwA4AYNFsSf8205cdEjcpQR-Dzm0vR4zT3hcy0tOXUYNtFpN_2XRnNa4RQEwBoCViEQAvD_BwE