Braidwood resident wants preservation ordinance for Route 66

A resident of Braidwood, Illinois, asked the city council to come up with a preservation ordinance for the town’s historic buildings, especially ones on Route 66.

Chris Earley said those properties “need to be landmarked for historical reasons and preservation reasons, now, for the future,” reported Free Press Newspapers.

Earley said he’s been working with the Will County Land Use Department’s Historic Preservation Committee to get the city’s oldest buildings a type of landmark status. However, the city needs to assist the process by adopting an ordinance that would allow for historic preservation of structures in town.
In particular, Earley said, the city needs to take a look at the buildings that sit at Main Street and Route 129, one of the original alignments of Historic Route 66. Those buildings, including the Korner Keg, the old service station, the laundromat, and the Braidwood Motel, all hold historical significance to Braidwood, Earley said.

Earley said he also has been in contact with those business owners about his proposal.

The council took no action on the proposal, other than suggest he consult with the local historic society on which buildings would be considered historic.

The Polk-A-Dot Drive-In restaurant along Illinois Route 53 is the landmark best-known to Route 66ers because of its 1950s kitsch and Blues Brothers decor.

But Illinois Route 129 across the railroad tracks is the often-overlooked alignment that was Route 66 from 1940 to 1956. It’s too bad it gets often ignored, because that segment of road sports a few landmarks that make you feel like you’ve gone back in time.

(Image of an old gas station along Route 66 in Braidwood, Illinois, by Lance Taylor via Flickr)