Joliet prison may become tourism attraction July 21, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Movies, Preservation.1 comment so far
The long-closed Joliet Correctional Center, located off Route 66 in Joliet, Ill., and the setting for the opening scene of “The Blues Brothers,” is seriously being considered as a tourism site, according to a report in the Chicago Tribune.
The Joliet prison opened in the 1850s, and during the early years, inmates were used to build the massive walls of limestone from local quarries. Since it closed in 2002, the prison has sat empty as a blighted reminder of Joliet’s storied prison history. The building still draws scores of visitors from around the globe, many who want to go inside.
“(Tourists) are mesmerized by that thing,” said Tony Contos, executive director of the Joliet Area Historical Museum. “I think it’s just the idea of what’s behind those walls.”
Prison tourism can be big business. About 100 major prisons worldwide have been converted into museums, including Alcatraz in San Francisco, Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, the Tower of London and South Africa’s Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela served time.
Joliet, along with the Illinois Film Office and Department of Corrections, receives dozens of requests each month to tour the facility from filmmakers, photographers, prison buffs and even family members of former prison employees.
However, it’s going to take a lot of money to clean up the prison. It’s been damaged by weather, groundhogs, vandals, and old age. Asbestos and lead paint also need to be removed.
Joliet says it would consider partnering with the state on upgrading the property, or the state selling the prison to the city.
Joliet in 2009 opened Old Joliet Prison Park, which features kiosks about the history of the prison just outside its walls.
John Mayer talks about recording “Route 66″ July 21, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Movies, Music.add a comment
Recording artist and guitar hotshot John Mayer talks about recording Bobby Troup’s “Route 66″ for the first “Cars” movie in 2006:
Mayer’s performance is part of the “Cars” soundtrack.
San Bernardino County will sign part of Route 66 July 20, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Signs.2 comments
San Bernardino County in California plans to designate a portion of historic Route 66 as “County Highway 66″ as a way to kick-start its County Route Marker Program.
According to a news release from the county:
Vice-Chairman Mitzelfelt is using $45,000 of his office’s discretionary funding to pay for the signage on the route. No federal dollars or other funding sources will be tapped for this effort.
More than 250 miles of this iconic highway run the length of San Bernardino County from Upland through Needles, making a portion of Route 66 by far the most appropriate place to launch the County Route Marker Program, the first to be added in the state since 1983.
Signs placed at various intervals along the route will serve as “bread crumbs” for travelers to follow as they explore significant landmarks.County Route 66 will begin on National Trails Highway in the unincorporated community of Oro Grande at the border of the City of Victorville, continue north onto Main Street in the City of Barstow, continue east on Interstate 40, travel north on Nebo Street near Barstow, head east on National Trails Highway, and then north on Goffs Road to its junction with US-95. Cultural and historical sites along this alignment include the City of Barstow and the communities of Daggett, Newberry Springs, Ludlow, Amboy, Cadiz, Chambless, Essex, and Goffs, as well as the Mojave National Preserve. This alignment can be expanded to include additional portions of or all of Route 66 at a later date.
According to Google Maps, using as much as old Route 66 as possible, the county will sign about 160 miles of Route 66. Considering how much of that stretch is desolate, more signs is a good thing for novice Route 66 travelers.
(Via Victorville Daily Press; image courtesy of San Bernardino County)
Rose Bowl Events Center put up for sale July 20, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses, Gas stations.add a comment
The Rose Bowl Events Center, formerly known as the Rose Bowl bowling alley in Tulsa, has been placed on the market for $1.1 million, according to a flyer received from Kevin Anderson & Associates.
The distinctively shaped building at 7419 E. 11th St. (aka Route 66) was built as a bowling alley in 1961 until its closure in 2005. AMF shuttered the facility and slapped it with a noncompete clause, rendering it useless to be reopened as a bowling alley.
Chris Whinery of Whinery Mortgage renovated the facility and reopened it as the Rose Bowl Events Center in 2008. However, the massive 33,000-square-foot building was open only fitfully.
A flyer of the Realtor listing can be downloaded here.
Also, the Realtor is offering the Rose Bowl Events Center and an adjacent building and lot for $1.4 million in a package deal. That flyer can be downloaded here.
Anderson also is listing other historically significant Route 66 properties in Tulsa:
— The George Tune’s automotive building and an adjacent cottage-style gas station list for $200,000. The gas station at 2446 E. 11th St. was built in 1928. The flyer for the property can be found here.
— The former Swinney’s Hardware building at 32 S. Lewis Ave. (aka Route 66) is listed for $785,000. The building was built about 1930, according to assessor’s records. The flyer for the property can be found here.
Those interested in any of the properties should call Anderson at 918-406-3197.
(Images courtesy of Kevin Anderson)
Tucumcari will try again for racino July 19, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses, Sports, Towns.add a comment
Investors in will apply Wednesday to the New Mexico Racing Commission for a horse-racing track and casino license in Tucumcari, reported the Clovis News-Journal.
Coronado Partners’ plans to develop the $60 million Coronado Park on 300-acres, featuring live racing from May to August each year during the heart of the triple-crown racing season nationally, and 600-slot casino within Tucumcari city limits on Historic Route 66 and I-40. The site’s location within the city limits means that all utilities and ancillary infrastructure are now available. [...]
While no specific timetable for evaluation of its application has been established, Coronado Partners believes it has made a strong case for the viability of Coronado Park in Tucumcari.
“At this time we believe we are the only entity to apply for the license,” Frost said. “There are still six more weeks left in the application progress.” [...]
If approved, Coronado Park plans to open for the 2013 racing season featuring a 56-day meet.
Tucumcari applied for a racetrack-casino license in 2008, but lost to Raton. However, the casino in Raton never opened. The state then voided Raton’s license.
Investors claim a “racino” will create 300 jobs with an annual payroll of $9 million in Tucumcari. Although a racetrack and casino sound like a boon, such rosy forecasts seldom prove accurate.
And with horse-racing seeing a general decline nationwide, it might be prudent for Tucumcari boosters to scale back their expectations a bit.
UPDATE 6/20/2011: The Albuquerque Journal also posted a story about the license application by Tucumcari.
No friend of Route 66 — again July 19, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses, History, Preservation.5 comments
You have to admit, at least Sen. Tom Coburn is consistent.
The Republican U.S. senator from Oklahoma has targeted the National Park Service’s Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program in his newly published “Oklahoma Waste Report” (pdf document) — his latest salvo against the much-praised Mother Road program.
In one chapter of the report, “Get Your Federal Grants on Route 66,” Coburn writes:
Most recently, NPS has provided federal funding to a number of old gas stations, hotels and gift shops. For instance, $30,000 helped to restore an historic filling station in Bristow for use as an auto body repair business, $30,000 was used to renovate an abandoned gas station and used car lot in Tulsa with a new roof, windows, and utilities, along with a new heating and cooling systems, $10,000 was used to replace the roof at the Park Hill Motel in Vinita, and $23,000 was used to initiate extensive repairs on the Seaba Station, an ― antique, gift, and tourist shop near Chandler.
Obviously, as an advocate for the Mother Road, Route 66 News isn’t going to criticize the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program. In our view, it’s a small program that’s paid big dividends for mom-and-pop businesses along historic 66 for more than a decade. It serves the NPS National Register of Historic Places‘ core function of preserving historic properties. And with its minuscule budget, the corridor program costs less than one penny for every person in the United States.
What Coburn fails to mention is at least three of the mentioned properties which received cost-share grants became the sites of new businesses, or grew more financially viable. In other words, these once-abandoned or marginal buildings turned into small businesses that hired workers and boosted the local economy.
This latest episode shows without a doubt that the Coburn is no friend of Route 66. The senator has made half-baked allegations before about the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program. He also tried to block legislation that would have renewed the program for another 10 years.
Oklahoma Route 66 historian Jim Ross and Tulsa blogger Michael Bates found Coburn’s stance on the Route 66 program so misguided, they wrote rebuttals.
Both Ross and Bates are staunch conservatives, by the way. This wasn’t a knee-jerk reaction by either of them. The fact they departed from Coburn on this issue speaks volumes.
Texas Route 66 group gives donation to Joplin tornado relief July 19, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Towns, Weather.2 comments
On behalf of the Old Route 66 Association of Texas, Ron Hart of the Route 66 Chamber of Commerce gave a $500 check to the Joplin Salvation Army for tornado relief efforts in Joplin, Mo.
More than 150 people died and hundreds were injured in the May 22 twister, which destroyed a third of the town.
Hart, a Joplin native, wrote in an e-mail and a Facebook post:
The money came from the profits of last month’s National Route 66 Festival in Amarillo, and was contained in a letter which stated,”In the spirit of the Historic Route 66 family, the Association wanted to send a little contribution to our fellow Route 66 city … ”
Marcia Flom accepted the check and said the donation would be used to help the survivors of the tornado get back on their feet. Other Route 66 communities have already made donations of money, new toys, food and water. [...]
They were very appreciative of the donation, and said that all donations are used for helping the survivors of the tornado. If anyone wants to donate on their own, their address is: Joplin Salvation Army Donation Center, 802 S. Grand, Joplin, MO. 64801, phone 417-624-2766. They lost their recently opened thrift store to the tornado, but their downtown store is untouched, and very busy, as you might expect. They cannot use used clothing or toys due to health reasons, so sending a check will do the most good, no matter how small.
You also can donate online here.
The group RebuildJoplin.org also is earning praise for its recovery efforts.