The 90-foot-tall landmark cowboy sign at the Big Texan Steak Ranch returned Friday after being removed for about a month when a wind storm damaged it, reported the Amarillo Globe-News. The newspaper reported about the saga of Bull, the name of the cowboy figure on the sign: Strong winds in late June damaged the sign to the … Continue reading Cowboy sign returns to Big Texan after one-month hiatus
Category: Preservation
Joplin motor court will be restored
A historic motel along an alignment of Route 66 in Joplin, Missouri, will be refurbished and reopened as a tourist court again, according to Joplin Globe columnist Wally Kennedy. The Westport Lodge (shown above during the 1950s) at North Main Street and Fountain Road, which was on an alternate Route 66 alignment from 1934 to … Continue reading Joplin motor court will be restored
Federal historic tax credit put on National Trust’s watch list
Each year, the National Trust for Historic Preservation releases its list of the 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. No Route 66 property made the 2014 list. However, what made the watch list should be of interest to Route 66ers -- and all preservationists in general. Take note of the last item (you can skip ahead … Continue reading Federal historic tax credit put on National Trust’s watch list
Neon restored on historic theater in downtown Los Angeles
The marquee of the historic Globe Theatre in downtown Los Angeles was relighted during a ceremony Tuesday night. It reportedly was the first time in 30 years that the marquee has glowed. The theater is on 740 S. Broadway in downtown L.A., which served as the western terminus of Route 66 until it was stretched … Continue reading Neon restored on historic theater in downtown Los Angeles
La Posada owner commits to buying Plaza Hotel
Allan Affeldt, co-owner of the historic La Posada hotel in Winslow, Arizona, announced Tuesday night in a Facebook post that he signed a contract to buy the historic Plaza Hotel in downtown Las Vegas, New Mexico. Affeldt's wish to own the Plaza Hotel had been known for weeks. He had said owning the Plaza would … Continue reading La Posada owner commits to buying Plaza Hotel
Boots Motel adds new supplementary sign
The historic Boots Motel in Carthage, Missouri, added a new "Air Conditioned" supplementary sign that's a faithful re-creation of one that hung from the main sign decades ago, along with the "Radio in Every Room" sign installed last year. I failed to notice the "Air Conditioned" sign in old postcards of the 1939 motel, which … Continue reading Boots Motel adds new supplementary sign
Family of owls holds up relighting of Whiting Bros. sign
The last Whiting Brothers gas station still in operation on Route 66 had hoped to relight the neon for its refurbished signs during a ceremony last weekend. However, a family of owls recently took up residence in one of the signs, delaying the neon installation at the station in Moriarty, New Mexico. Roger Holden at RETRO … Continue reading Family of owls holds up relighting of Whiting Bros. sign
Rialto Theatre in South Pasadena on the market
The historic but shuttered Rialto Theatre of South Pasadena, California -- after sitting in limbo for many months -- finally will be put up for sale. According to a Facebook post Monday by Escott O. Norton of Friends of the Rialto: BIG NEWS! The Rialto will be going up for sale! It was announced today … Continue reading Rialto Theatre in South Pasadena on the market
Hi-Way Tavern being revived at old Edwardsville location
The Hi-Way Tavern and Cafe, which began on Route 66 in Edwardsville, Ill., in 1934, will be revived at its old site in a tavern and eventually will serve food again, reported the Edwardsville Intelligencer. The building at 463 E. Vandalia was occupied by Neumann's Bar and Restaurant for 25 years. However, the newly reverted … Continue reading Hi-Way Tavern being revived at old Edwardsville location
Nice neon addition, but is it vintage?
The Marty Rivers Building in Sapulpa, Oklahoma, recently touted the addition of a neon sign on its roof. The building is on East Hobson Avenue and North Water Street in Sapulpa (map here), which sits one block north of Dewey Avenue, aka Route 66. A short story about the sign in the Sapulpa Daily Herald … Continue reading Nice neon addition, but is it vintage?