Here it is — the art deco-inspired Boots Motel in Carthage, Mo., with its original flat roof for the first time in more than three decades.
The Route 66 landmark came with a flat roof when built in 1939. However, the owners erected a gabled roof over it about 1978.
When sisters Debye Harvey and Priscilla Bledsaw bought the endangered motel in 2011, one of their top priorities was to remove the gabled roof and restore the original flat roof so it would be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.
With the help of a $12,000 cost-share grant from the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program, removal of the gabled roof began in late March.
Also, with the help of an anonymous donor, the motel’s neon sign will be restored to its old-time glory in the coming weeks.
(Photo courtesy of Ron Hart at the Route 66 Chamber of Commerce)
Looks great! Well, done, Ladies.
So much better.