The "East Meets West" sculpture at the Cyrus Avery Centennial Plaza at Riverside Drive and Southwest Boulevard (aka Route 66) in Tulsa is inching closer to being installed. Dennis Whitaker at the city of Tulsa gave me this update, via e-mail: [T]he artist is finished with the car group and the foundry has already cast … Continue reading Notes from the road
Category: Preservation
Revival of hotel building in Tulsa begins
The restoration of the historic Max Campbell Building in the 2600 block of East 11th Street, aka Route 66, in Tulsa is starting now. The purchase of the building and the intentions to convert it into a hotel and retail center was announced in late 2008. But I feared that the project went by the … Continue reading Revival of hotel building in Tulsa begins
Bono’s Orange may reopen
In a lengthy story about Southern California's fast-disappearing orange stands, the Los Angeles Times reports that the long-closed Bono's Historic Orange on Route 66 in Fontana, Calif., may be reopened to sell orange juice again. Joe Bono, who is in his 70s, can remember citrus groves stretching as far as he could see during his … Continue reading Bono’s Orange may reopen
The power of dedicated volunteers
This story in the Tulsa World does a good job in explaining how a bunch of volunteers helped return the historic Coleman Theatre in Miami, Okla., to its original grandeur. Barbara Smith, the executive director, once told me that the theater was very close to meeting the wrecking during the 1980s. The theater was eventually … Continue reading The power of dedicated volunteers
Skating rink on Route 66 will be converted into a church
The closed Starlite Skate Rink on Route 66 north of Sapulpa, Okla., will be converted into the new home of Sapulpa Life Church effective Sunday, reported the Sapulpa Daily Herald. The church is tailored more to young people, so it's possible the Skate Rink could be used at times for the purpose for which it … Continue reading Skating rink on Route 66 will be converted into a church
Illinois Route 66 advocate Lenore Weiss dies
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
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