De Anza project may be in jeopardy April 8, 2013
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses, Motels, Preservation.add a comment
The main developer of the historic De Anza Motor Lodge along Route 66 in Albuquerque says the revitalization project may be scuttled if historic tax credits aren’t approved soon by the federal government, reported Albuquerque Business First.
The newspaper said:
Developer Rob Dickson said the approval of historic tax credits, which represent almost 15 percent of the project’s $4.3 million cost, is again sitting in the hands of the National Park Service after almost a year.
At issue is a “conditional approval” by the Park Service of the project’s plans, Dickson said, adding that he’d hoped for an approval with a few acceptable conditions.
“With the [current] conditions the financing won’t go,” Dickson said. “But part of the problem now is not only the conditions, but the timing. If much more time passes, I think it’s dead. I don’t want to be starting construction in 2014 and finishing in 2015 either.” [...]
The Park Service wants the plan to follow a 1964-era layout, while Dickson’s plan follows that of 1954.
A city planner says if part of the De Anza the plan is rejected, it can be appealed. The city should know within two weeks. After that, the city can appeal within 30 days.
I suspect Dickson’s comments are a bit of saber-rattling to persuade the Park Service to see things more his way. The De Anza project has seen almost a decade of delays and setbacks, and the feds don’t want to be seen as the bad guy in this.
S.D. Hambaugh, a tourist court operator from Tucson, Ariz.; and C.G. Wallace, a trader with the Zuni Indians, built De Anza Motor Lodge in 1939. It closed during the 1990s, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.
UPDATE 4/15/2013: De Anza is appealing the decision.
(Image of De Anza Motor Lodge by Debora Drower, via Flickr)
Boots Motel begins removal of gabled roof March 27, 2013
Posted by Ron Warnick in Motels, Preservation.add a comment
Workers on Tuesday began removing a gabled roof from the Boots Motel in Carthage, Mo., so its owners could return the Route 66 landmark to its original flat roof, reported the Carthage Press.
Co-owners Deb Harvey and her sister, Priscilla Bledsaw, and manager Deborah “Debbie Dee” Real were all smiles Tuesday morning when Brothers Construction rolled in to start removing the gabled roof in order to re-install the flat roof. Harvey estimated the “Raze the Roof” project would take about three weeks until it was finished. [...]
“Bye bye roof,” Harvey said, watching from the ground with a camera in hand. “Nobody’s going to miss you.” [...]
In celebration of the completed roof and as a Boots Court Motel sign re-lighting party, an event will be held in late April or early May. By then, the motel will be able to enjoy its first full tourism season.
Returning the motel to its flat roof would make it eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, and thus make it eligible for more historic grants.
Last year, the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program awarded the motel a matching grant of $12,000 to help remove the gabled roof — built in the late 1970s — and restore the flat roof. The motel faced a deadline of late April to remove the roof, or it would have to forfeit the money.
A Raze the Roof volunteer project was schedule for the weekend of March 23-24, but the owners canceled the event because of bad weather.
UPDATE 3/28/2013: Ron Hart at the Route 66 Chamber of Commerce sent these photos from the first day of the roof removal:
UPDATE 3/30/2013: KOAM-TV posted this story about the work being done:
KOAM TV 7 Joplin and Pittsburg
“Raze the Roof” event at Boots Motel canceled due to weather March 21, 2013
Posted by Ron Warnick in Motels, Preservation, Weather.2 comments
The “Raze the Roof” volunteer event scheduled for this weekend at the historic Boots Motel in Carthage, Mo., has been canceled because of grim weather forecasts.
Here’s the email sent Thursday from the Boots:
The owners of the historic Boots Motel, Debye Harvey and Priscilla Bledsaw, regret to announce that the “Raze-the-Roof” project is cancelled due to the extreme winter weather forecast for the next four days. It was also discovered that the “rain-date” for the following weekend would fall on the Easter weekend, so that to is cancelled.
Due to the need to have the pitch roof removed and the building returned to having the original flat roofs repaired as soon as can be arranged by the roofing contractor, the Raze-the-Roof project will not be rescheduled, as there would not be enough lead time to organize another volunteer event. Photos of the work will be posted as soon as work begins.
The weather has also delayed the competition of the original neon sign restoration, and once the weather stabilizes, the re-lighting ceremony date will be posted.
The Raze the Roof event was going to be a collaborative effort with volunteers and experienced roofers to remove the gabled roof on the 1939 motel, so original flat roof could be restored. The effort would make the Route 66 motel eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. The gabled roof was built in the late 1970s.
However, forecasts by the National Weather Service on Thursday evening indicated horrible conditions for any sort of outdoor activity. Rain is likely in Carthage on Saturday, with a high of just 43 degrees and wind chills in the 20s. On Sunday, the NWS predicts a chance of snow, with a high of 34.
Mural painted on wall at Route 66 Motel in Barstow March 19, 2013
Posted by Ron Warnick in Art, Motels.add a comment
The historic Route 66 Motel in Barstow, Calif., took a wall that was a troublesome graffiti magnet and had it repainted into a Route 66-themed mural, reported the Desert Dispatch newspaper.
Owner Ved Shandil enlisted local artist Kim Capp to repaint the wall in the past month. The newspaper said:
He said a small black and white graphic map of Route 66 was inspiration for the much larger, more colorful depiction connecting the eight individual states of the route with icons from each. The text on the mural reads “Get your Kicks on Route 66” and “Mainstreet of America!” [...]
The mural is one part of a few aesthetic changes he has made to draw in more tourists. About 10 years ago he also purchased circle-shaped beds which he thoroughly advertises on his street sign and online. The business also recently completed installing a new roof and has plans for Capp to paint small murals in each of the rooms.
Images of the refurbished wall can be seen here.
Former Albuquerque motel officially reopens as apartments March 18, 2013
Posted by Ron Warnick in Motels, Preservation.1 comment so far
The Luna Lodge along Route 66 in Albuquerque, which dates to 1949, officially reopened today as housing for low-income residents after a $3 million renovation that kept its historic aspects.
KRQE-TV in Albuquerque filed this good report about the motel’s rebirth:
Historic Rte. 66 lodge gets new lease on life
The next project for NewLife Homes is renovating and converting the Sundowner Motel, also on Route 66, into an apartment complex and mixed-use facility for low-income residents.
UPDATE 3/19/2013: KOB-TV in Albuquerque had more about the Luna Lodge’s reopening:
Red Oak II apparently going into the motel business March 7, 2013
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Motels, Preservation.2 comments
At least three vintage duplexes from Joplin, Mo., were moved to the Red Oak II property near Carthage, Mo., on Wednesday, according to several photos and posts on Red Oak II’s Facebook page.
The sprawling Red Oak II complex, a few miles north of Route 66, serves as a re-creation of old-time, small-town America by artist Lowell Davis. It’s become a popular side trip for Route 66 travelers.
According to one of the Red Oak II Facebook posts:
Lowell is now retired and can’t afford to move anymore buildings into Red Oak ll. But there are some great new players helping his dreams keeping R.O alive and growing. Men like Larry Sernyk, Larry Frienkenschmidt, now Mayor Jim Woestman who is presently bringing 1920′s duplexes. These 3 cute little 1920′s duplex are from Joplin. My plan is to make them into unique motel rooms, to rent out for a night or weekend. To help u escape fr the real world out there.
A phone call to the number listed for Red Oak II wasn’t answered Wednesday night. According to the Facebook account, newspapers from Joplin and Carthage were at the scene. So maybe we’ll know something from one of them later Thursday.
UPDATE 3/8/2013: According to the Joplin Globe, the buildings come from the old Star Motel at Seventh Street and Duquesne Road. The motel was making way for a Casey’s General Store, and the owners agreed to donate the buildings.
Lowell Davis had always liked the motel’s 1920s-styled buildings, which actually date to the early 1970s.
(Hat tip to Alan Denton)
Boots Motel needs help with “Raze the Roof” project March 6, 2013
Posted by Ron Warnick in Motels, Preservation, Uncategorized.add a comment
A vintage postcard of the Boots Motel, when it had a flat roof.
The Boots Motel, a Route 66 landmark in Carthage, Mo., needs both volunteer and financial assistance in the coming weeks for its “Raze the Roof” effort.
The new owners want to remove the motel’s gabled roof so its original flat roof can be restored. More from a news release by Ron Hart of the Route 66 Chamber of Commerce:
The shingled pitch-roof was added in 1978 and needs to be removed to qualify the motel for placement on the National Register of Historic Places, and obtain additional preservation grants. Last year, the National Park Service / Route 66 Corridor Grant Program awarded the owners a matching grant of $12,000 to help remove the newer roof and restore the original flat roof. A local roofing company submitted a bid as required on the grant application; however, the motel’s owners do not have the funds to have the pitch roof removed.
A volunteer event titled the “Raze the Roof” project is scheduled for March 23-24, with a rain date of March 30-31. Volunteers will be removing the roof sheathing on the two motel buildings so the contractor can immediately repair the flat roofs. If this project is not completed soon thereafter, the grant may be rescinded, which is not a good thing. [...]
I am seeking a total of eight experienced volunteer roofers to remove the shingles only, so they will need shingle-removal shovels. Other volunteers will do the clean-up and take the removed shingles to the dumpster. This will need to happen on Saturday so the other volunteers can remove the sheathing and trusses by Sunday afternoon.
In exchange for their contribution towards this restoration-preservation project, shingle-removal workers will receive a free two-night stay at a time of their choosing. The Route 66 Chamber will also make the volunteers (and/or their employers) members of the Route 66 Chamber of Commerce and they will receive a Chamber certificate and a Certificate of Appreciation from The Boots Motel (volunteers will be listed on the websites “Volunteer Page“) and on several Facebook pages. Breakfast, lunch and refreshments will be provided at no charge.
To raise the funds, Ed Klein’s Route 66 World site on Tuesday posted a PayPal link so contributions for the cause would be sent to [email protected]. Please select “Personal” and “Other” for your settings so the Boots is not charged a transaction fee, and remark that this is for the “Boots Roof Fund.”
Hart, who also is a property manager at the motel, reported that more than $600 has been raised so far.
Donations also can be mailed to:
Boots Motel Roof Fund
c/o Southwest Missouri Bank
P.O. Box 814
Carthage, MO. 64836-0814
Repairing the roof also would speed the renovation of the rest of the motel and nearly triple its current capacity. Just five rooms are available to overnight guests for now.
After a nearly 10-year hiatus, the Boots Motel reopened to overnight travelers in May 2012 after sisters Debye Harvey and her sister Priscilla Bledsaw bought the once-endangered property. The sisters plan to restore the landmark to its circa-1949 heyday, including a “radio in every room.”