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Noteworthy for its eye-catching neon sign, the Thunderbird Inn was one of several motels built in the region in the 1960s by Stanley Fulghum. Its strategic location on Oglethorpe Avenue, just outside of the historic district, conveniently served automobile tourists traveling across the first Talmadge Bridge (completed 1954; see 1.14) on U.S. 17 to or from South Carolina. The two-story, concrete-block structure follows a simple, L-shaped plan with forty-two guest rooms connected by covered walkways opening onto an asphalt parking lot. Yellow, teal, and red panels below the windows of each room and the boldly cantilevered canopy above the office entrance enliven the design.