The Albuquerque City Council unanimously ratified Mayor Richard Berry's Route 66 Action Plan for a 15-mile stretch of Central Avenue in the city, reported the Associated Press and other media outlets. The plan comes with infrastructure improvements, tourism additions and historical preservation, among other things. You can read a summary of the plan here, but … Continue reading Albuquerque adopts Route 66 Action Plan
Category: Preservation
Website needs more data on New Deal projects
The good news is someone has put together an interactive map of New Deal sites that were built beginning in the 1930s and are still standing. The bad news is the listings on the map are incomplete. Carthage, Missouri, for instance, has a few such sites that aren't listed. However, you can offer listings to … Continue reading Website needs more data on New Deal projects
Senator may urge Obama to make Mojave a monument
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) may ask President Obama to create two national monuments in California's Mojave Desert, including one that includes a stretch of Route 66, reported the Los Angeles Times. Feinstein said Monday she wants to break a logjam of interests that stalled two previous bills to create the two protected zones, the largest … Continue reading Senator may urge Obama to make Mojave a monument
Building in Springfield, Missouri, added to National Register
The McDaniel Building in downtown Springfield, Missouri, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places effective Oct. 22, according to an email Friday from the National Park Service. The six-story building, built in 1914, was around when Cyrus Avery and John Woodruff worked on details during meetings in Springfield about what became the fledgling … Continue reading Building in Springfield, Missouri, added to National Register
Quentin Tarantino backs out of Rialto deal
Oscar-winning movie director Quentin Tarantino recently withdrew an offer to buy the closed Rialto Theatre in South Pasadena, California, reported the South Pasadena Review. According to South Pasadena Chamber of Commerce President Scott Feldmann, Tarantino agreed to a contract for a short period of time, before pulling back on his offer prior to closing the … Continue reading Quentin Tarantino backs out of Rialto deal
Anthony Quinn mural in downtown L.A. to be restored
The nearly 30-year-old mural of actor Anthony Quinn on the side of the Victor Clothing Co. building in downtown Los Angeles will be restored, according to several media outlets. Titled "The Pope of Broadway," the 70-foot-tall mural at 242 S. Broadway shows Quinn with his arms outstretched, a la a scene from the 1964 film … Continue reading Anthony Quinn mural in downtown L.A. to be restored
Group seeks to restore old schoolhouse in Phelps
A nonprofit group is raising money to shore up and restore a long-abandoned, century-old Phelps School in the tiny Route 66 hamlet of Phelps, Missouri, reported the Joplin Globe. According to the article, Phelps School was finished in 1889 until it and other one-room schools in the region were consolidated into the Miller School District … Continue reading Group seeks to restore old schoolhouse in Phelps
Nonprofit challenges El Vado redevelopment plan
A nonprofit group that has experienced success in rehabbing vintage Route 66 motels in Albuquerque is appealing the city's selection of another group that wants to redevelop the historic El Vado Motel, reported the Albuquerque Journal. According to the newspaper: Albuquerque-based nonprofit NewLife Homes, which finished second in the selection process to eventual winner Palindrome … Continue reading Nonprofit challenges El Vado redevelopment plan
Future of Shea’s Route 66 Museum likely won’t be known until next year
What's in store for the closed Shea's Route 66 Museum in Springfield, Illinois, likely won't be known until sometime early next year, reported the State Journal-Register newspaper. The museum, long operated by former gas-station operator and gas memorabilia collector Bill Shea, closed except for appointments in late 2012 after Shea became too frail and was … Continue reading Future of Shea’s Route 66 Museum likely won’t be known until next year
Route 66 in Mojave may reopen by late November
Long sections of historic Route 66 that were closed in mid-September because of extensive flood damage may reopen by late November, reported The Press-Enterprise. The newspaper had more details about the damage: In some spots there are holes large enough to swallow one of the motorcycles belonging to tourist groups that regularly retrace the Western … Continue reading Route 66 in Mojave may reopen by late November