The Heart of Route 66 Auto Museum in Sapulpa, Oklahoma, will have a soft opening in late March and an official opening June 1, according to Richard Holmes, president of the nonprofit museum.
The museum at 13 Sahoma Lake Road, just off Route 66 on Sapulpa’s west side, will feature a 66-foot-tall, old-style gasoline pump that also will serve as an observation tower. The gas pump obviously takes a page from the 66-foot-tall soda bottle at Pops in Arcadia, Oklahoma, about an hour’s drive west on Route 66.
Holmes said in an email the soil for the pump is being tested before the concrete is poured for the foundation. He anticipates the pump will be finished sometime in June.
According to a news release this week, the museum secured donations from Bennett Steel of Sapulpa and American Heritage Bank to help with the construction.
According to the release:
The Heart of Route 66 Auto Museum is currently under development at the old armory along Route 66. The museum will feature vintage cars and a variety of exhibits about Route 66, including how the military used the famed road. Interactive and simulated displays as well as a gift shop and kids’ area are also planned for the 10,000-square-foot property. […]
Museum memberships are still available for those interested. Annual memberships cost $45 for two people, while a founding membership is $2,500, which includes lifetime admission to the museum for two people, a plaque with a chosen name on the wall of the museum and 15 percent off purchases at the gift shop. Memberships are tax-deductible.
The museum’s organizers have raised money for the facility ever since it was announced in May.
Holmes said the museum will have limited hours after the soft opening in March.
(Artist’s rendering of the 66-foot-tall gas pump courtesy of the Heart of Route 66 Auto Museum)