The Heritage House restaurant on old Route 66 in Springfield, Ill., which closed in 2004, recently was demolished, reports the Springfield Journal-Register.
The Heritage House operated for 38 years. For a long time, it was the only smorgasbord restaurant for miles around. Growing up in central Illinois, I remember one of its ads on a local TV station. The owner, wearing a preposterous sailor’s outfit and an obvious fake mustache, was touting the fried clams. Serving seafood in such abundance was a rarity at the time, too.
Heritage House once was listed in the Route 66 Dining and Lodging Guide. Here are some photos of Heritage House on the Springfield Photos blog, along with its demolition.
We ate at Heritage House not long before it closed. By then, there was very little to distinguish the food or ambiance from buffets at other restaurants. That, I suspect, led to its demise. It no longer was unique, nor even all that good.
The Journal-Register is asking for readers’ memories about the restaurant for a story. Go here if you wish to contribute. You can comment here, too.
That’s too bad. Another family owned non-chain restaurant gone. I wonder what familiar box (fast food, major drug store, etc.) will buy the property, soon to be across the street from a WalMart super center??
I ate there several times over the years, the most recent must have been shortly before it closed, because it doesn’t seem like all that long ago. In classic family style, our whole clan was there.