Vega Motel shows signs of new life December 18, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses, Motels, Preservation, Signs.5 comments
The Vega Motel boasts a new owner who’s converted part of the historic Route 66 motel in Vega, Texas, into a business center, and wants to reopen part of the property for overnight guests again.
Darren Elliott, pastor of Christ’s Community Fellowship church in Vega, bought the property during a tax auction in June, remodeled a few rooms, and opened it for its first business tenant in September.
The Vega Motel now plays host to a coffee shop, gift shop and boutique store, a barbershop, and a nail and cosmetology business.
“I’m not looking to get rich off this,” Elliott said during a phone intereview. “We’re just trying to keep it as original as possible. It’s just going to take quite a bit of money to do it.”
Elliott said he’s planning more remodeling in the spring. For one thing, he wants to install the neon tubing created for the Vega Motel’s sign that’s in storage. And that’s not all.
“Eventually, I’d like to remodel the other rooms, then rent them out (to overnight guests),” he said. “It’s going to take a while.”
Elliott remains uncertain whether the motel’s south building remains salvageable. Erosion in a nearby drainage ditch compromised the structure’s integrity years ago.
Elliott explained that his interest in the Vega Motel came partly from his wife, a lifelong resident who always wanted to buy the property and restore it. Elliott, with a background in carpentry and remodeling, decided to make a bid when the mothballed motel came on the market.
Built in 1947, the motel originally was named Vega Court, as you can see from the old postcard shown above. It remains one of the few motels with enclosed garages next to the rooms. A more recent photo can be seen here.
Harry and Tresa Whaley ran the motel for years. But they shuttered the Vega Motel for months in 2006 when Harry encountered serious health problems. It closed for good not long after that with the death of Tresa’s brother.
Any small business interested in renting space at the Vega Motel should call 806-267-0442.
(Hat tip: Linda Drake)
Triangle Motel named to National Register December 17, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Motels, Preservation.11 comments
The Triangle Motel in Amarillo, Texas, was added to the National Register of Historic Places effective Dec. 7, according to an e-mail today from the National Park Service.
The State Board of Review unanimously voted in late September to recommend the Route 66 motel to the National Register, so the national listing was deemed all but certain. The Triangle was built in 1944.
Still, the listing remains a tribute to the efforts of owner Alan McNeil and roadies. The motel hadn’t operated since the late 1970s, and was in such bad shape due to neglect that by 2006, the city was set to tear it down as a nuisance.
But McNeil stepped in, placed a $2,000 down payment to buy the property, and roadies volunteered to help clean it up as much as possible. A year later, the Triangle received a $26,000 cost-share grant from the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program to stabilize the structure.
McNeil is very close to paying off the mortgage after receiving donations from roadies this fall. Owning the Triangle free and clear will enable him to sink more money into restoration efforts.
The Triangle also will be the site of a one-day preservation project during the Route 66 festival in Amarillo in June.
(Photo by Mary Ann Waber)
Launching Pad Drive-In put up for sale December 16, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Restaurants.11 comments
The Launching Pad Drive-In restaurant of Wilmington, Ill., made famous by its 28-foot-tall astronaut Gemini Giant mascot that stands next to Route 66, has been put up for sale and appears to be closed at least temporarily.
Longtime Route 66 advocate John Weiss, a Wilmington resident, took note of the restaurant’s closing a few days ago during a posting on Facebook.
Pam Monson of the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce & Industry said in an e-mail today that the restaurant announced two weeks ago it would be open only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Then it abruptly announced it was closing for the holidays.
“What I’m being told by city officials … is that the business will be closed until February,” she wrote.
A little Google sleuthing turned up a real-estate listing for the restaurant in the New York Times, of all places. Amid the description of the property is this ominous sentence: “Wife says sell or else.” It’s been on the market since Nov. 28.
The asking price is $629,000, and the broker is Coldwell Banker.
Strangely enough, neither real-estate listing mentions the restaurant by name, nor its famed mascot, which seems to be a poor bit of marketing.
The description also contains this odd notation: “Highly Confidential! Do Not Bother Staff! They do not know of sale” — as if something like this on the Internet could be kept top-secret.
The restaurant is owned by Morey Szczecin of Channahon, Ill., who purchased it in May 2007.
The Free Press Newspapers reported in August that the City of Wilmington considered buying the restaurant after Szczecin put it up for sale for several months. However, he delisted the eatery from real-estate listings shortly before the article was published.
Monson said city officials no longer seem to be considering the purchase.
The creator of the restaurant, John Korelc, died just a few months later after Szczecin bought it. Korelc founded the cafe as the Dari Delite in 1960 and changed its name to the Launching Pad in 1965 — presumably after finding the fiberglass giant dressed as a spaceman and holding a small rocket. Korelc retired in 1986.
(Hat tip to Mark Potter)
Gillioz Theatre faces possible foreclosure December 15, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Theaters.add a comment
The historic Gillioz Theatre in Springfield, Mo., is urging supporters to dig deep into their pockets to prevent a possible New Year’s Eve foreclosure, reported the Springfield News-Leader.
The Gillioz was built in 1926 on Route 66 near downtown. The Springfield Landmarks Preservation Trust guided a $10 million restoration and reopened the theater in 2006. However, the trust owes Guaranty Bank $3.5 million on a loan in which a payment hasn’t been made in more than two years.
Trust president Dave Roling hopes that enough donations will roll in to prevent a foreclosure sale scheduled for 2 p.m. Dec. 31.
Roling said one potential donor has offered to pick up more than half the amount if the Springfield community would step up and contribute.
Roling declined to say who the potential benefactor was. [...]
Roling said he is still communicating with the bank and hopes Guaranty might accept a lower amount to halt the foreclosure.
He said he had no hard feelings toward Guaranty, noting “the bank has done its part” by carrying the loan for so long without foreclosing the properties.
Roling said the theater incurred almost $1 million in unexpected costs, and the recession depressed ticket sales.
Also, the state rejected $1 million in historic preservation tax credits that would have gone directly to the mortgage. Because of a deposit error by the trust, the state ruled that part of the renovations wasn’t by a nonprofit entity.
Donations can be mailed to Save the Gillioz, c/o Community Foundation of the Ozarks, 425 E. Trafficway, Springfield, MO 65806-1121. The Gillioz also has instructions on how to donate online here.
Man finishes cross-country run December 15, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in People, Road trips, Sports.add a comment
Using the 1928 Bunion Derby as his inspiration, John Radich recently completed his transcontinental run from Santa Monica to Atlantic City, N.J. — two-thirds of it on Route 66.
The Pasadena (Calif.) Star-News caught up with Radich, who lives in nearby Monrovia.
It required four months, 20 days and seven pairs of shoes for him to finish running the 3,500 miles. He did it to raise money and bring publicity for the anti-drug Way to Happiness Foundation founded by the Church of Scientology.
“Running across America is dangerous,” he said, referring to the traffic he encountered. “I never had a bad experience with people and I was never in a situation where I felt threatened, but it was much harder than I thought.”
Radich said his next cross-country running goal is to go from Fairbanks, Alaska, to Mexico. Radich also has a website about the run here, but hasn’t updated it since late November.
Hello from Guatemala December 15, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Music, Road trips.add a comment
Guatemala is about 2,000 miles from the closest point of Route 66. However, that doesn’t prevent musicians in that nation from singing about it.
This video shows road scenes in Guatemala, but includes Bobby Troup’s famous tune.
(Hat tip: Frank Kocevar of Historic Seligman Sundries)
Mayor of Springfield, Ill., found dead December 14, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Motels, Museums, People.1 comment so far
Tim Davlin, 53, the mayor of Springfield, Ill., since 2003, was found dead at his home Tuesday morning of a gunshot wound, according to the Springfield State Journal-Register.
The newspaper reported that the wound was self-inflicted. Police remained tight-lipped throughout the day, and would not say whether it was a suicide or accident.
An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday.
Police went to check on Davlin when he failed to appear Tuesday morning for a court hearing about a late cousin’s estate.
Davlin’s connection to Route 66 was that he and other Springfield officials advocated a plan to acquire the historic Bel-Aire Motel along Route 66 in Springfield and convert it into a Route 66 museum and tourism center. In August, the city applied for a $1 million grant from the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program for the project.
Waynesville bridge soon will be improved December 14, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Bridges.add a comment
The city of Waynesville, Mo., is proceeding with plans to improve the historic Roubidoux Bridge that carried Route 66, reported The Daily Guide newspaper.
Waynesville City Councilwoman Luge Hardman said lighting would be placed on both sides of the bridge, and that bids for the project would be let as soon as spring.
Hardman said the project has been in the works since 2005 and they are very close to finishing, putting lights along Route 66, as well as on the Roubidoux Bridge, new sidewalks into Laughlin Park, new signs at Laughlin Park and building the Trail of Tears site in Laughlin Park.
Hardman said the project also includes lighting the upper section of the Roubidoux walking tour, which will be engineered in a way where the new lighting will not be damaged by the potential flooding prone in the area.
New trees also are planned along the Route 66 corridor in town.
Lake Overholser Bridge will undergo repairs December 14, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Bridges, Preservation.add a comment
The historic Lake Overholser Bridge that once carried Route 66 in Bethany, Okla., is about to undergo repairs after it was closed to traffic for the past year or so.
According to KWTV in Oklahoma City:
The plan is to keep the bridge preserved and close to the original state as possible. Eventually, it will reopen to vehicles.
The bridge was built in 1924 before Route 66 and was mentioned in John Steinbeck’s novel, “The Grapes of Wrath.”
According to Jim Ross’ book “Oklahoma Route 66,” the bridge consists of four Parker trusses and one Warren pony truss on each end, spanning almost 750 feet. The bridge also underwent repairs during the 1990s.
(Photo courtesy of Guy Randall.)
Tucumcari edges ahead in race for Route 66 museum December 13, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Gas stations, Museums, Towns.4 comments
It appears Tucumcari, N.M., is edging ahead of Santa Rosa, N.M., in the race to land a new Route 66 museum, according to a story in the current print edition of the Guadalupe County Communicator, based in Santa Rosa.
Johnnie Meier, former president of the New Mexico Route 66 Association and owner of the Classical Gas museum in Embudo, N.M., told the newspaper that he prefered the historic Ilfeld Warehouse in Santa Rosa for a Route 66 museum.
However, he expressed frustration about Santa Rosa’s slow pace in acquiring the funding for the project. Meier, 60, said he now is leaning to Tucumcari, which wants to convert an abandoned truck stop on the city’s west side for the museum.
“There’s a short-term option in Tucumcari. I don’t see a short-term option in Santa Rosa,” Meier said. [...]
“I’m not getting any younger,” Meier said. “It’s a major project I’m considering, and a lifestyle change. If Santa Rosa makes me wait two to three years, I’m getting too old for this.”
By contrast, he praised Tucumcari officials for being more proactive in convincing him about how they could accomplish the goal.
“I recognize good planing and good project management when I see it,” he said. “I see it in Tucumcari. I don’t see it in Santa Rosa.”
The newspaper reported that the truck stop isn’t the only Tucumcari site considered, and that the city of Tucumcari may make him a formal offer as soon as early next year.
A big issue with the truck stop is environmental remediation from leaking oil and gasoline tanks. However, that problem could enable the city to quickly receive government grants to solve the problem and convert the site to Meier’s use.
I don’t regard the truck-stop site as ideal; it’s too far from Tucumcari’s center and its historic Route 66 sights. However, with New Mexico as one of the only Route 66 states without a significant Mother Road-based museum, any museum would almost certainly be a win-win situation for the town.