New artist's renderings were released Monday of the giant gas pump that will be built outside the Heart of Route 66 Auto Museum on Route 66 in Sapulpa, Oklahoma. Initial reports more than two weeks ago said the pump was going to be 20 feet tall. It turns out the museum's organizers underestimated the pump's … Continue reading New renderings of Sapulpa’s giant gas pump released
Category: Museums
So what’s going to be in the OKPOP museum?
After a topsy-turvy session in the Oklahoma Legislature, major funding for the OKPOP museum finally was approved and is slated to open in Tulsa's Brady District in 2018. A lot of people assume the museum is going to focus on Oklahoma's rich music history. But a recent article in the Tulsa World clarifies that OKPOP … Continue reading So what’s going to be in the OKPOP museum?
Military museum may come to Wilmington
Ohio native R. Fred Rolsten has amassed a sizable collection of military memorabilia from World War I, World War II and other eras that may end up on Route 66 in Wilmington, Illinois, reported Shaw Media. A search for a permanent location for his collection of artifacts from World War I, World War II and … Continue reading Military museum may come to Wilmington
Auto museum with giant gas pump planned in Sapulpa
A Heart of Route 66 Auto Museum is being planned along the Mother Road in Sapulpa, Oklahoma, that includes a 20-foot-tall, vintage-inspired gas pump. The museum is being built in the old armory building (below) along Route 66 on Sapulpa's west side,at 13 Sahoma Lake Road. At the top of this story is a sketch of the … Continue reading Auto museum with giant gas pump planned in Sapulpa
A closer look at the Route 66 Experience design
A few hours after I filed the story about the impending announcement Wednesday about the Route 66 Experience museum complex in Tulsa, I received architect renderings of the building that's set to open sometime in 2018. As you can see, it differs markedly from the artist rendering a decade ago (courtesy of Dana Dawson at … Continue reading A closer look at the Route 66 Experience design
Tulsa Route 66 museum’s opening finally has a date
The Route 66 Experience museum near the banks of the Arkansas River in Tulsa has been in the planning stages for more than a decade. Now, according to the Tulsa World, the city will announce plans later today to have what will be a $19.5 million project open by 2018, with a groundbreaking by summer 2016. The … Continue reading Tulsa Route 66 museum’s opening finally has a date
Teaser film out about Will Rogers, Route 66
A few weeks ago, the Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore, Oklahoma, announced it was working with Kirkpatrick & Kinslow Productions in nearby Tulsa to produce a three-minute film about the link between Oklahoma movie star and humorist Will Rogers and Route 66. “Route 66: The Mother Road” author Michael Wallis and Jennifer Rogers-Etcheverry, great-granddaughter of … Continue reading Teaser film out about Will Rogers, Route 66
Bel-Aire sputnik will be restored for sign company’s museum
For those who worried about the fate of the sputnik structure atop the doomed Bel-Air Motel in Springfield, Illinois, do not worry. Ace Sign Co. of Springfield removed the sputnik over the weekend and eventually will restore it for its neon museum that coincidentally opens today, according to the State Journal-Register. The fiberglass ball of … Continue reading Bel-Aire sputnik will be restored for sign company’s museum
A stop at the Waite Phillips gas station
The Sapulpa Historical Society in Sapulpa, Oklahoma, spent a lot of time and fundraising to restore the Waite Phillips gas station, located a block off Route 66. Discover Oklahoma produced this segment about the station: https://youtu.be/BJRLpeh3HKI Waite Phillips was one of the biggest oil men in Oklahoma. Phillips has been dead for more than 50 … Continue reading A stop at the Waite Phillips gas station
New Bloomington center already makes big impact
The new Route 66 Visitors Center in downtown Bloomington, Illinois, has been open less than two weeks, but the local convention and visitors bureau says it's already made a big effect on the local economy. According to a report by WJBC radio, the center has drawn 885 visitors in 12 days and has generated $150,000 … Continue reading New Bloomington center already makes big impact