Approximately 200 gathered Saturday evening to view a relighting ceremony for the neon sign of the Hi-Way Cafe near Vinita, Oklahoma. It was the first time in about 30 years the sign experienced a glow from its neon tubing. Tom Schwartz, who built the Route 66 restaurant and its sign in 1963, threw the switch … Continue reading About 200 attend relighting of neon sign of Hi-Way Cafe near Vinita
Category: Preservation
Carthage city panel votes to tear down historic baseball stadium
The Carthage, Missouri, City Council Public Services Committee reluctantly decided recently to demolish the historic Carl Lewton Stadium, also known as The Rock, after contractors determined that saving it wasn't feasible. According to reporting by the Joplin Globe, the rock-facade stadium was built as a Works Progress Administration project in 1937 and was the home … Continue reading Carthage city panel votes to tear down historic baseball stadium
Neon signs from Westward Hotel of St. Louis installed at Transportation Museum
Restored neon signs from the long-defunct Westward Hotel in St. Louis recently were installed in the National Museum of Transportation. A brief video of the signs was posted on the Tumblr account of museum director Terri McEachern. A screenshot: The installation is inside the Earl C. Lindburg Automobile Center. The Westward Hotel, which operated from … Continue reading Neon signs from Westward Hotel of St. Louis installed at Transportation Museum
City of Carthage loses lawsuit over the repair of its historic bridges
An appeals court in St. Louis ruled against the City of Carthage, Missouri, in its effort to get a railroad to repair its historic bridges, including the famous Oak Street Bridge (aka Whee Bridge) that carries Route 66. A three-judge panel with the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling that … Continue reading City of Carthage loses lawsuit over the repair of its historic bridges
Route 66 Interpretive Center in Edwardsville likely will be open by summer
The new Route 66 Interpretive Center, located in a former gas station in Edwardsville, Illinois, will be open to the public by late spring or summer once remodeling for the project is finished. The building at St. Louis and West streets (aka Route 66) also once served as a dental office. Last summer, Great Rivers … Continue reading Route 66 Interpretive Center in Edwardsville likely will be open by summer
Local tribe closes Grand Falls site northeast of Flagstaff
Grand Falls, also known as Chocolate Falls or Adah’iilíní, became a popular tourist site because of its spectacular waterfalls during monsoon or snowpack-melt seasons. It sits less than an hour's drive from downtown Flagstaff, Arizona. It's open to tourists no longer. According to the Arizona Daily Sun, residents of the Leupp Chapter of the Navajo … Continue reading Local tribe closes Grand Falls site northeast of Flagstaff
Tee Pee Drive-In theater in Sapulpa to hold its soft reopening in early April
The rejuvenated Tee Pee Drive-In theater on the west side of Sapulpa, Oklahoma, will hold a soft reopening in early April, with a full reopening by mid-April. The Sapulpa Herald, citing sources close to the company that owns the once-moribund venue, got the scoop on the theater, which would have its first season in almost … Continue reading Tee Pee Drive-In theater in Sapulpa to hold its soft reopening in early April
Removal of newer facade reveals original front of Pearl Brothers Hardware building in Joplin
In recent weeks, contractors for the new owner of Pearl Bros. Hardware building in downtown Joplin, Missouri, removed the green metal facade that had covered the original front of the building for about 60 years. A reporter for KOAM-TV showed before-and-after images of the work being done by Neal Group Construction: https://youtu.be/WcXfSKLMq68 The story also … Continue reading Removal of newer facade reveals original front of Pearl Brothers Hardware building in Joplin
Santa Monica Pier was saved from destruction 50 years ago
It's unthinkable now, but the iconic Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, California, once was very much in danger of being torn down a half-century ago. The Santa Monica Daily Press recently published an article about the history of the pier, including a successful grass-roots effort in 1973 to preserve it after the city council … Continue reading Santa Monica Pier was saved from destruction 50 years ago
Missouri budget plan includes $6 million to rebuild the bridge at Route 66 State Park
Among proposed spending bills being considered by the Missouri Legislature is a $6 million plan to build a pedestrian bridge at an existing historic span at Route 66 State Park near Eureka. That item was flagged deep in a story by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that focused on the Missouri Department of Transportation headquarters in … Continue reading Missouri budget plan includes $6 million to rebuild the bridge at Route 66 State Park