Sunset Motel sign is relit

The beautiful porcelain sign for the Sunset Motel along route 66 near Villa Ridge, Mo., saw its neon relit for the first time in about 30 years on Saturday, reported the Route 66 Association of Missouri’s blog.

About half the money to restore the sign came from a cost-share grant by the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program. And more good news was reported on the blog:

Work on the motel building continues and is expected to be completed in a month or two. In recent history, the motel had been rented as apartments, and when it reopens, the owners plan to reserve half of the rooms for Route 66 travelers.

Jim Thole of the association’s Neon Heritage Preservation Committee said that David Hutson of NeonTime restored the neon tubing, and that Loleta Krueger, former owner of the motel, attended the ceremony. In an e-mailed news release, he said:

Mrs. Krueger and her late husband (Oliver Lee) had owned and operated the motel for 35 years from 1971-2006. She was very excited to see this renewal of the property that she was attached to for so many years. It is now owned and operated by her daughter, and her daughter’s husband.

The operation of the Sunset Motel, on Highway AT (formerly Route 66) near Villa Ridge, Missouri, has been temporarily suspended as other restoration and rehab work is underway, both interior and exterior (new roof, facia, dormers, etc.). When completed, 4 of the 12 units will be available to Route 66 roadies (or anyone) for nightly rental, “just like the good-old days,” while the other 8 units will remain for weekly rental. Route 66 travelers and photographers should be aware that the newly restored neon sign will remain off until the entire restoration is complete, and the motel is back in business.

Here’s what the sign looks like in the daytime.

(Photos courtesy of Jim Thole)