UPDATED: City will try to buy Red Cedar Inn

The Red Cedar Inn restaurant in Pacific, Mo., which closed a few years ago after more than 70 years on Route 66, eventually will reopen as a visitors center and area history museum, reports KTVI-TV in St. Louis.

As expected, the City of Pacific voted unanimously Tuesday night to acquire the property. The city had been discussing a new site for its museum, and the Red Cedar was the leading favorite early in talks.

KTVI has a video with the story.

UPDATE 6/25/08: The Tri-County Journal reported that the Pacific City Council decided to enter into negotiations to buy the Red Cedar Property. So KTVI’s report that the council voted to purchase the property was a tad premature.

But it appears that Route 66ers helped push the city in the right direction:

The city also received what City Administrator Harold Selby called a “surprising” letter from Michael Taylor, Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program manager for the U.S. Department of the Interior. Taylor also offered to help provide information on potential technical and financial assistance available to the city for the restoration project.

The letter was just one of many letters and e-mails Adams said he received in support of the idea of the city buying and restoring the Red Cedar. In addition to letters from area residents, letters of support also came from St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley and local radio personality Joe Sonderman of KLOU, whose recent book on Route 66 includes information on the Red Cedar and other Pacific Route 66 landmarks.

“This historic building (Red Cedar) is important not only to Pacific, but the whole region,” said Esley Hamilton, a preservation historian for the St. Louis County Historic Building Commission. “This is definitely a building that should be preserved.”

One of the biggest enthusiasts for the Red Cedar project was Kit [sic] Welborn of St. Louis, a member of the Route 66 Association of Missouri.

“We believe if the city does this, it will not only allow one of the most viable icons on Route 66 to remain, but it will be a wonderful welcome mat for people who travel along Route 66 into Pacific,” Welborn said. “Let’s preserve the past so future generations will be able to tell their kids about the Red Cedar.”