When we’d last heard almost three years ago, a local man bought a 1920s Texaco station along old Route 66 in Foyil, Oklahoma, and shortly had it added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The station’s owner, Kean Isaacs, pledged to restore it to as close as its original look as possible. Last week, KOTV in Tulsa provided an update on the station, which now looks pretty spiffy on the outside.
Here’s the report:
NewsOn6.com – Tulsa, OK – News, Weather, Video and Sports – KOTV.com |
Isaacs said:
“I bought it for the purpose of cleaning it up,” Isaacs said.
He knew its history, he grew up around Foyil. But here’s what he didn’t know.
“I didn’t know how important Route 66 was to the whole world until some people from China came by,” Isaacs said.
A tour group traveling Route 66 stopped to ask for directions. When he told them this was an old gas station on the route, they all piled out and started taking pictures.
Isaacs rethought the plan; maybe actually turn the old building into something.
“I’d like it to be an information center and rest stop for Route 66 … sell souvenirs and snacks and stuff,” Isaacs said.
Progress is slow; Isaacs said he’d like to fully restore the station by 2026, which would be Route 66’s 100th anniversary.
Those who wish to follow the progress of the station’s restoration can go to its Facebook page.
The official address for the station is 12243 S. Andy Payne Blvd. in Claremore, Oklahoma, although it sits in the middle of Foyil. Andy Payne Boulevard once was Chestnut Avenue, which was U.S. 66 from 1926 to 1963.
The street is named after Foyil native Payne, who won the 1928 Trans-American Footrace, aka Bunion Derby, of more than 3,400 miles, including all of U.S. 66.
Years after Payne’s death, Foyil erected a statue of him where old Route 66 and newer Route 66 meet on the west edge of town. Route 66 was realigned about 100 yards in 1963, where it remains today.
(Image of the Texaco filling station in Foyil, Oklahoma, via Facebook)
It is great to see the old buildings restored along this historic route. I hope he goes ahead and puts in the pumps for gas and also the approach to the gas station even if it is turned into a gift shop. This could really be a significant attraction in this town as interest in Route 66 grows.