Lenore Weiss, a co-winner of the prestigious Steinbeck Award and other preservation honors for work that she and her husband John Weiss did for Route 66 in Illinois, died today after a battle with cancer. She was 63. Lenore had told me some months ago that she had been diagnosed with a serious form of … Continue reading Illinois Route 66 advocate Lenore Weiss dies
Category: Preservation
Devil’s Elbow Bridge gets stabilization grant
This historic but deteriorating Devil's Elbow Bridge that carries an older alignment of Route 66 into Devil's Elbow, Mo., got good news recently. The bridge will receive a grant to help stabilize the structure until more funds can be found to fully repair it. According to the Pulaski County Daily: The historic Devil’s Elbow bridge … Continue reading Devil’s Elbow Bridge gets stabilization grant
All-American pitch
This Webster Weekly Report from Webster University tells about the last of a series of public meetings in an effort to make Route 66 a National Scenic Byway or an All-American Road. The last meeting occurred in St. Louis County. (Hat tip: Tommy and Glenda Pike of the Route 66 Association of Missouri)
Rail Haven Motel nominated to National Register
The Rail Haven Motel along Route 66 in Springfield, Mo., has been nominated to the National Register of Historic Places, reports KBIA radio. Randy Nottle is the motel's manager. "We cater to a lot of European travelers coming down Route 66 everything in the hotel is original the furniture recently, though, has been updated and … Continue reading Rail Haven Motel nominated to National Register
Grants property nominated as historic site
Charlie's Radiator Service, a business that was established in the 1940s on Route 66 in Grants, N.M., was nominated as a state historic site, reported the Cibola County Beacon. The designation would make it eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. On the west end of Grants, Charles Diaz opened Charley's Automotive Service in … Continue reading Grants property nominated as historic site
Rally ’round the bridge
Here's a St. Louis Post-Dispatch article today about efforts by the Route 66 Association of Missouri and other preservation groups to prevent the razing of the historic Route 66 Bridge at Route 66 State Park near Eureka. [...] Joe Sonderman of Hazelwood, a local traffic reporter and author of three books on Route 66, said … Continue reading Rally ’round the bridge
Benld church will be converted to monastery
A 103-year-old Russian Orthodox Church on Route 66 in Benld, Ill., will be converted into a monastery -- instead of being razed -- because of declining attendance, reported the Springfield State Journal-Register. Mindful of Holy Dormition’s rich history, but acknowledging a declining membership and church rules that say an unused building must be torn down, … Continue reading Benld church will be converted to monastery
Cost-share grant season begins
Now is the time of year in which you can apply for a cost-share grant from the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program. These grants, which cover up to 50 percent of the cost of a project, mostly are awarded for repairs or improvements to historic properties along Route 66. Applications can be found here, or … Continue reading Cost-share grant season begins
The grim state of the Route 66 Bridge
A representative from the Missouri Department of Transportation attended the Route 66 Association of Missouri's meeting this weekend and painted a grim picture of the state of the Route 66 Bridge near Eureka, Mo., adjacent to Route 66 State Park. The state recently closed the bridge to the public and has proposed demolishing the dilapidated … Continue reading The grim state of the Route 66 Bridge
Logan County sees huge jump in tourism dollars
Geoff Ladd, tourism director for Logan County, Ill., saw an unprecedented jump of 30 percent in tourism revenue in 2009, and Route 66 played a role in that, reported the Lincoln Courier. There were a number of reasons cited in the rise in motel tax revenue: the opening of a Hampton Inn and the reopening … Continue reading Logan County sees huge jump in tourism dollars