The long-closed Lurvey Courts cabins that stood along Route 66 in Springfield, Missouri, finally were being torn down Monday by the city after appeals to the owner to preserve them bore no fruit.
Here is some video from the Ozarks First television station in Springfield:
The station said the cabins at 2939 E. Kearney St. (aka Route 66) contain some asbestos, and the wreckage has to be sent out of town for decontamination.
Richard Walker reported three of the cabins were torn down Monday, and three more likely would follow suit this week.
One of the cabins, however, is slated to be dismantled and later rebuilt in a to-be-determined location. The likely spot will be the Route 66 Roadside Park on West College Street (aka Route 66) in Springfield.
KY3 reports that Route 66 preservationists spent about 100 hours last year clearing brush from the cabins and earned a temporary reprieve for the long-neglected property.
The city declared the property a danger and a nuisance early last spring. It stated the old motel would be demolished if the owner didn’t act to fix the property.
The efforts of Route 66 enthusiasts gave the motel at least another year of life, but the owner took no action to stop its demolition.
According to the Birthplace of Route 66 Festival’s points of interest page, the cabins were built in 1928 by Burt and Irene Lurvey when they moved the cabins from nearby Strafford, Missouri. The cabins became rentals during the 1970s.
(Screen-capture image from KOLR-TV video in 2019 of one of the cabins of the Lurvey Courts in Springfield, Missouri)
Wouldn’t it be grand to time travel and stand across the street and watch people and autos come and go during the hey-day of Rt. 66. …..I know, times were tough back then
Sucks that these were torn down even though i didn’t know they existed
So glad I saw this auto court last November. Also would not have know about this gem without this news thread. Thank you!
Another example of a simple bit of architecture that represents an era now gone being destroyed. And for what?
Sorry to see them go. They look like cute little places. Makes you wish the owner would have sold them to someone with a little drive and imagination.
This is sad news. Those little cabins were very cute. Someone put a lot of work and love into building them.
When I came across them in 2010, I spent a great deal of time photographing them – an hour or more.