The city of El Reno, Oklahoma, last week approved a contract with an area metal-fabrication firm to build a large Route 66 Monument near downtown.
The city announced on its Facebook page:
On Tuesday, February 13, the City Council unanimously agreed to celebrate the history of “America’s Mother Road,” historic Route 66, with a monument designed to capture the attention and inspire reflection for travelers across generations. The Route 66 Monument, designed by PremierCraft, will be placed at the intersection of Route 66, the Rock Island Railroad, and the historic Chisholm Trail. This location is at the corner of W. Watts and S. Choctaw, catty-corner from Sid’s Diner.
The city didn’t state how much the monument would cost, nor was the price tag listed on the city-council agenda before the meeting.
Hugh Meade, project manager at PremierCraft in Oklahoma City, said on Facebook the 10-by-10-foot monument will be ready before the annual El Reno Fried Onion Burger Day on May 5.
He also wrote this artist’s statement:
Route 66 has been called America’s Mother Road. It has been the subject of songs, stories, poems, TV shows, and films since its creation in 1926. El Reno occupies a place along this historic highway which makes it a perfect stopping point to sight-see, shop, and take pictures.
Creating a focal point for that energy is the purpose of the proposed sculptural monument. A large, strategically placed monument that is closely identified with both Route 66 AND the City of El Reno will become the image that appears first and foremost on google searches, Instagram, Facebook and other social media.
The proposal pays homage to the iconic shield design of the highway signs marking the famous route, with the numbers “66” cut into the sign so that a person can climb into and become part of the sign itself for souvenir pictures. The sign itself is canted over at an angle to provide additional interest. The El Reno Route 66 Monument
will be identified with the overall brand and image of the City of El Reno for decades to come. I know it will be embraced by the local community, the state of Oklahoma, and the countless visitors touring our great nation’s Mother Road every year.
El Reno’s Route 66 Monument partly resembles one planned for Tulsa’s Admiral Place traffic circle, part of an old alignment of Route 66.
Both designs feature a large and tilted Route 66 shield. An Albuquerque firm, EFG Creative, designed the forthcoming Tulsa sculpture. The big difference is Tulsa’s will be a lot bigger — 35 feet tall, 90 feet long and weighing 25 tons.
(Hat tip to KFOR-TV in Oklahoma City; artist’s renderings of El Reno’s Route 66 Monument by Hugh Meade via Facebook)
Watts St is TWO blocks away from Sid’s. Maybe they mean W. WADE and S. Choctaw?