Today, the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program announced the awarding of 10 cost-share grants to Route 66 property owners for the 2011 fiscal year.
Here’s the listing, straight from the agency:
Route 66 Motel sign and roof rehabilitation, Kingman, Ariz. ($10,319 federal grant, $10,319 match by owner) — The Route 66 Motel has been a welcoming stop on Route 66 in Kingman for more than 50 years. Its towering red and yellow neon sign remains a beacon in the night for travelers stopping to photograph the sign, stay the night, or visit the Route 66 gift shop. Built in 1963 as the “Pony Soldier,” an aging electrical system has caused many portions of the motel’s sign to stop working, and the flat roof on the building needs repair. Grant funds will assist with these priority preservation needs, so it can continue to serve as an important Route 66 landmark.
Ariston Cafe rehabilitation, Litchfield, Ill. ($10,000 grant, $10,000 match) — The Ariston Cafe opened in 1935 and has been continuously operated by the Adam family ever since. The cafe offers favorites such as toasted ravioli and homemade red velvet cake. With its distinctive curved parapet, finely crafted brickwork, and its original Art Deco-style dining booths, this Litchfield landmark was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. In 2008, a preservation plan was prepared for the cafe, and rehabilitation work has been ongoing since. Grant funds will assist with the current phase of the project, which will focus on structural repairs to the exterior brickwork.
Dell Rhea Chicken Basket rehabilitation, Hinsdale, Ill. ($7,000 grant, $7,000 match) — Dell Rhea Chicken Basket has its origins in the 1930s as a lunch counter attached to a service station in Hinsdale. Oral tradition has it that two local farm women offered to reveal their excellent fried chicken recipe to the owner if he would promise to buy their chickens. The recipe was so good, that by 1946, the service station was closed and the new Chicken Basket was born. Built adjacent to the lunch counter site, the building reflects the no-nonsense, utilitarian, commercial style of the post-war years. After being bypassed by the interstate in 1962, the business fell on hard times. The Dell Rhea family purchased the Chicken Basket in 1963, and through savvy marketing and its famous fried chicken recipe, the business flourishes today. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. Grant funds will assist with much-needed structural repairs to the exterior brick walls.
Luna Cafe neon sign restoration, Mitchell, Ill. ($11,000 grant, $11,000 match) — The Luna Cafe in Mitchell was built in 1926, the same year Route 66 was commissioned as a highway. With over 85 years of continuous service, the Luna has reportedly had many famous visitors including Al Capone, Elvis Presley, Hank Williams Sr. and Ike & Tina Turner. Local memory recalls it serving variously as a cafe, piano bar, boarding house, brothel, upscale restaurant, and meeting spot for gangsters. The neon sign with its iconic ruby-red cherries lit up the night for over 40 years before going dark in the 1990s. The Missouri and Illinois Route 66 associations are partnering with the owner of the Luna to oversee the restoration of the sign.
Sprague Super Service window rehabilitation, Normal, Ill. ($10,000 grant, $10,000 match) — In 1931, William W. Sprague built a two-story, Tudor Revival-style building on Route 66 in Normal to meet the demands of motorists. Although Sprague opened the business during the Great Depression, he could count on travelers and local residents who needed food, gasoline, and car repairs to stay in business. By providing on-site housing in the upstairs portion of the building for himself and a station attendant, he could meet the needs of customers while lowering his housing costs. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008, the owner is restoring the building for use as a visitor center. Following a preservation plan prepared in 2009, a new roof and ADA-accessible bathrooms have been installed. Grant funds will now assist with rehabilitation of the historic, wood-frame windows.
Meramec River Bridge historic structures report, Eureka, Mo. ($15,000 grant, $30,000 match) — Constructed in 1931-1932, the Meramec River Bridge is a 1,009-foot-long, three-span, steel deck truss and girder structure. The bridge carried Route 66 traffic until it was bypassed by Interstate 44 in the 1960s. Today, it serves as a centerpiece of the Route 66 State Park, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. Now closed to traffic and under threat of demolition due to its deteriorated condition, it has been listed one of Missouri Preservation’s Most Endangered Historic Places for two years in a row. As part of a larger master planning effort, grant funds will assist with the preparation of a Historic Structures Report to evaluate preservation options for the bridge.
Sunset Motel “exit” and “extrance” neon signs restoration, Villa Ridge, Mo. ($7,100 grant, $7,100 match) — The Sunset Motel was built just after World War II in the Hi-Way Hills Subdivision of Villa Ridge. Built in a distinctive V-shape,
it had a twin-sister property known as the Pin Oak Motel just two miles west on Route 66. The motel featured a spacious
lawn and central garden, a circular driveway around the rear of the property, and front and back entrances to each room. Since 1971, the property has been owned by the same family, and is operating on a weekly rental basis. Restoration was begun in 2009 to replace the roof, repoint exterior brick work, restore the interior floors, and return the neon sign to operating condition. Grant funds will assist with restoration of the damaged and missing neon in the “Entrance” and “Exit” signs.
Wagon Wheel Motel roof replacement, Cuba, Mo. ($17,500 grant, $17,500 match) — Built just after the Great Depression in 1935, the Wagon Wheel Motel — known originally as the Wagon Wheel Cabins — is a rare example of the transition in roadside lodging from individual tourist cabins to attached units. A well-known local mason built the motel using local stone that farmers brought to him. While stone was a common building material for motels in Missouri, the Tudor-Revival styling was not. Today, the motel is still locally owned and operated, and is the earliest tourist court on Route 66 in Missouri that still accommodates nightly travelers. Ongoing restoration work has included porch and soffit repairs, window repair, floor refinishing, and heating/cooling improvements. Grant funds will assist with roof replacement on two of the motel units.
Arcadia Round Barn siding restoration, Arcadia, Okla. ($21,000 grant, $21,000 match) — The Round Barn has stood in Arcadia since 1898. During construction, boards were soaked in water to make them pliable enough to bend into the round shape of the barn. The barn was used for livestock and hay, but it is the dances on the second floor of the barn that people remember most. In 1914, Oklahoma County obtained a right-of-way and built a crude dirt road between the barn and the railroad tracks. In 1926, this unpaved road was designated U.S. Highway 66. The barn has been a landmark on the route ever since, and today serves as Route 66 and local history museum. The barn was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. Grant funds will assist with repair of rotted siding boards and trim.
Firestone station restoration, Bristow, Okla. ($25,000 grant, $25,000 match) — The July 1929 Bristow Daily Record reported that Firestone had purchased lots on Route 66 for constructing a building that “will be one of the most modern in the state.” The store opened in May 1930 and included an Art Deco design with six large service bays, a wash bay, an office and sales area with large display windows. The station prospered through the 1950s, relying on its premier location and brand recognition, as well as is distinctiveness as a full service station. Now under extensive and meticulous restoration for use as an auto body shop, grant funds will assist with site improvements including the exterior lights, sign, and concrete driveway repairs.
(Most images courtesy of the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program)