As predicted here a few weeks ago,the Rose Bowl in Tulsa has been repainted back to some semblance of its original pink color, eschewing the red, white, blue and purple colors that it sported briefly before it closed, reports KOTV. Chris Whinery of Whinery Mortgage is the owner of the Rose Bowl, which was built … Continue reading Rose Bowl back in the pink
Category: Preservation
Hesperia’s Old Town Shops being renovated
Hesperia, Calif., is growing quickly, but a developer is seeking to preserve at least part of the town's roots by renovating the dilapidated Old Town Shops that were built in the 1950s, according to the Victorville Daily Press. (Hesperia is just south of Victorville.) Roofing work on the buildings began earlier this spring, and plans … Continue reading Hesperia’s Old Town Shops being renovated
Preserve those gas stations
The Joplin (Mo.) Globe has a story about how Route 66 communities in southwest Missouri, southeast Kansas and northeast Oklahoma are making greater efforts to restore their vintage gas stations. The story goes over territory that Route 66 News has already covered, but it does confirm that there indeed seems to be a movement afoot. … Continue reading Preserve those gas stations
Same as it ever was
One time, while dining at a dairy bar on Route 66 in Commerce, Okla., I chatted with this older gentleman who was traveling through the region. We started talking about vintage businesses along the Mother Road. "Just down the street, there's a place that when I walked in, it was like being in my hometown's … Continue reading Same as it ever was
Preservation — $2 at a time
There's been a lot of discussion on the Internet about the Associated Press story about neglected historic motels along Route 66. Yesterday came this plea on the Route 66 yahoogroup from Bob Kelley, owner of the Grand Motel in Williams, Ariz.: I have seen the same problems others have that own older Route 66 motels. … Continue reading Preservation — $2 at a time
Route 66 Interpretive Center opens
The Daily Oklahoman has a story about the new Route 66 Interpretive Center in Chandler, which opened Saturday in an old National Guard Armory. For more on the Armory restoration, check out our earlier sneak preview.
Route 66 Motels
A Dallas-based CBS affiliate filed a nice report today on Oklahoma's Route 66 motels, which recently made Preservation Oklahoma's 2007 Most Endangered Places List. The piece -- which mentions the Riviera Courts in Miamia, the Chelsea Motel and Chelsea Motor Inn in Chelsea, Elm's Motel in Claremore, the Cotton Boll Motel in Canute, and the … Continue reading Route 66 Motels
Story of the Blue Dome
Tulsa has an area in downtown called the Blue Dome District -- an area of up-and-coming restaurants, taverns, businesses and residential lofts. The district's namesake is a blue-domed Gulf Oil station, built in 1924 on what became an early alignment of Route 66 through Tulsa. According to this article in Urban Tulsa, it was the … Continue reading Story of the Blue Dome
Arcadia angst
I've read this story several times from the San Gabriel Valley (Calif.) Tribune, and I think I now have a grasp on it. It deals with a historic Route 66 restaurant called Rod's Grill, a car dealership and the residents of Arcadia, Calif. Rusnak Mercedes-Benz wanted the city to seize property on which Rod's Grill … Continue reading Arcadia angst
El Vado owner, city go into negotiations
An article in the Albuquerque Journal says that the city and El Vado Motel owner Richard Gonzales have entered talks to settle their spat over the historic Route 66 property: City officials and the old Route 66 tourist court owner, Richard L. Gonzales, are pursuing "settlement negotiations," according to a letter from Planning Director Richard … Continue reading El Vado owner, city go into negotiations