The historic but long-troubled Bel-Aire Motel in Springfield, Illinois, will be demolished by late summer or early fall, according to Tim Landis in his State Journal-Register business column.
It earlier was reported the motel on South Sixth Street (aka Route 66) would be torn down by summer. However, demolition permits haven’t yet been filed. Current residents have 60 days to find new housing after the Dec. 10 agreement with the motel owner’s family. The pact allowed another six months for teardown and clearing of the site.
Alderman Cory Jobe, who led the efforts to close and tear down the property, said social service agencies are helping residents move out.
Jobe, whose ward includes the Bel-Aire, led efforts to force the demolition after hundreds of building code violations piled up in the last few years. The settlement includes payment of $40,000 in fines, including an initial $10,000 payment and the remainder in $1,250 installments starting March 1.
“They are on the clock,” Jobe said. “The city is working with local not-for-profits to help residents find housing.”
Longtime owner Gopal Motwani put the motel up for sale for $750,000 last summer, but he died near his Florida home a few months later with no takers.
According to a story in the State Journal Register earlier in 2014, Motwani bought the motel in 1986. The property declined almost immediately after the transaction, according to relatives of longtime owner, Charles Ciesler, who built the motel about 1950.
The city of Springfield a few years ago proposed buying property and converting it into a Route 66 tourism center or museum. The motel’s retro neon sign, including a Sputnik structure on the roof, would have made it a beacon for travelers.
But the city lacked the money and quietly dropped the idea. Mayor Timothy Davlin, who hatched the museum proposal, committed suicide in 2010. However, if Springfield still is serious about a Route 66 museum, another prominent site in town is for sale.
(Image of the Bel-Aire Motel courtesy of 66Postcards.com)
Any word on the future of that sign and sputnik? The sputnik would make a dandy addition to any business…perhaps the Cozy Dog just up the street?
As for Shea’s…a much more manageable size facility for the city to purchase and maintain. Would love to see it happen.