Anthony Noriega, who also owned the popular Tony’s Restaurant next door, constructed the Thrift Courts of America at 3314 S Dale Mabry in 1961. The building was unusual because it introduced the idea of prefab construction to the area. The sections were built offsite by Hart Industries and then moved to the job site and assembled on a traditional concrete foundation. Each section had four units and was a 10-foot by 50-foot structure. The rooms, made of wood and steel, were then built with pre-finished plywood paneling on the inside, and each included built-in dressers and desks. The bathrooms were finished with Formica. Other locations around the state were made with vinyl siding outside, but Noriega elected to have red brick veneer on the exterior walls. The modular construction was significantly cheaper to build based on techniques used to make mobile homes. The 60-room motel prided itself on having air conditioning, televisions, and phones in every room, along with a pool for guests to enjoy. The pool area also had a jukebox and pinball machine. Noriega used the close proximity of his restaurant for promotions, offering a “Shangra-La” weekend package to local residents that included a room and all meals at Tony’s.

In 1967, Robert Shaul bought the motel and changed its name to Thrifty-Six Courts. Into the 1970s, the place was a low-rent, $35-per-week motel that had added kitchenettes. By the mid-1980s, it was called the American Motel and had a long run. In 1998, the Howard Johnson’s chain opened the Ho-Jo Inn, offering Weekly rentals and efficiencies. The business was remodeled around 2009, and in 2017 it was sold. It is now Hotel South Tampa and Suites.

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