Highly respected Route 66 researcher Jim Ross assembled these compelling reasons to Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) on why the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program should be renewed for another 10 years. The program is set to end in late 2009. There is legislation proposed to renew the program for another 10 years, but Coburn is … Continue reading Five good reasons to renew the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program
Category: Preservation
Historic Tulsa building to be converted into hotel
Tulsa Business Journal reports that the historic Max Campbell Building on 11th Street (aka Route 66) in Tulsa has been purchased and will be converted into a hotel, events center and retail space. Group M. Investments Inc. purchased the historic building, which sits at 11th and Columbia, near the University of Tulsa. The site contains … Continue reading Historic Tulsa building to be converted into hotel
Cataloging the past
Phil Gordon, who lives in Vancouver, Wash., dropped me an e-mail to let me know about an admirable project that he's undertaking -- he's trying to collect and catalog all the linen postcards that were issued along Route 66. He's set up a Web site to list all of these postcards. He has them grouped … Continue reading Cataloging the past
Trainspotting at La Posada
Railroad buff Karl Zimmermann of the Los Angeles Times has written an excellent story about La Posada in Winslow, Ariz., along with the attached Turquoise Room restaurant. The article makes you want to jump in the car and stay for a weekend there.
Senator may block Route 66 Corridor program’s renewal
The well-regarded Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program is up for a 10-year renewal by the U.S. Senate. However, one man -- Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) -- is threatening to scuttle the measure. Ironically, Coburn's constituents in Oklahoma have directly benefited from the program, which sunsets in late 2009. More than a dozen owners of historic … Continue reading Senator may block Route 66 Corridor program’s renewal
Preservation Conference tour heads into Kansas
The Joplin (Mo.) Globe ran into a group from the National Preservation Conference in Tulsa that was touring Oklahoma's eastern end of Route 66, plus the Mother Road in Kansas. Among the sights taken in were the Blue Whale of Catoosa, Okla.; Afton Station in Afton, Okla.; a stretch of the old 9-foot-wide highway, the … Continue reading Preservation Conference tour heads into Kansas
Preservationist wins Oprah leadership contest
Route 66 preservationist Anne Dodge, of Cambridge, Mass., was one of 80 women who won a contest to be named to the O White House Leadership Project by O, The Oprah Magazine. Dodge was selected for her work in developing "a program encouraging historic preservation and economic development along Route 66 by connecting motel owners … Continue reading Preservationist wins Oprah leadership contest
Notes from the Preservation Conference
I attended a couple of Route 66-related seminars and took a stroll in the exhibition hall on Wednesday during the National Preservation Conference at the Tulsa Convention Center in Tulsa. Here are a few news items that should be of interest to roadies: -- I ran into Albert Okura, owner of the Juan Pollo restaurants … Continue reading Notes from the Preservation Conference
The original Golden Arches
Trevor Summons of the San Bernardino County Sun has an interesting article about the original McDonald's restaurant at 14th and E streets in San Bernardino, Calif. Situated on Route 66 - it is in fact the business loop of the famous road - McDonald's was originally brought there on a flatbed from Arcadia. The two … Continue reading The original Golden Arches
City may buy Bel-Aire Motel as tourism stop
The city of Springfield, Ill., is in discussions with the state for funding to buy the Bel-Aire Motel so it can be converted into a Route 66 Discovery Center, reports the Journal-Register. The motel is still operating, but it's now a haven of criminal activity. But both Mayor Tim Davlin and supporters of a statewide, … Continue reading City may buy Bel-Aire Motel as tourism stop