The moribund and fire-damaged America’s Value Inn, formerly the Saratoga Motor Hotel, in east Tulsa eventually will be transformed into a sobriety center.
KTUL-TV in Tulsa reported that Dixie Pebworth of Wings of Freedom acquired the property:
Pebworth founded Wings of Freedom in the early 2000s. Since then, the faith-based organization has helped thousands of people break free from addiction and transition back into society from prison.
“We create a normal community, but we keep it clean and sober,” he said. “It’s an accountability program. The people that live there do not want drugs or alcohol on their property, so we create the environment where it is conducive for them to succeed.” […]
“We’re transforming the property and giving it an uplift,” Pebworth said. “We want to keep the history of it, but we want to make it an environment that is conducive to helping people get their lives back together.”
Pebworth has a lot of work to do: Thieves ripped through the ceilings to pull out copper wiring, and fires were set in some rooms. But the motel would essentially double its capacity.
Wings of Freedom listed some goals on its website:
- Expansion– Near term future plans include building 126 new apartments which would more than double the size of the program; a fully staffed Detox Facility; an In-house Treatment Center; and an Assisted Living Center for the elderly being released from prison.
- Debt Reduction– Current mortgages total $2.4 million. Payoff of existing mortgages would allow funds now used for debt service to be used to expand the ministry and services we provide.
- Furnishings– We constantly need furnishings for our 1 and 2 bedroom apartments, so that when our clients are ready to move on, they may be allowed to take the furnishings they have been using with them.
A sobriety center is a good fit in the area. That part of town has been known for years with many residents suffering from drug or alcohol abuse.
A fire scorched the motel in February. America’s Value Inn at 10115 E. 11th St. (aka Route 66) once was the Saratoga Motor Hotel, according to a 1950s-era postcard of the site. The Googie sign was repurposed when the motel changed its name years later.
Route66Times.com reported “it was a 85-unit that advertised free TV and continuous hi-fi music.”
(Google Street View excerpt of America’s Value Inn sign in Tulsa in 2011)
Let’s hope it will have a better future than its recent past.