Johnnie Meier, owner of the Classical Gas Museum and a longtime Route 66 advocate, presented a new set of ideas for establishing a Route 66 museum in Santa Rosa, New Mexico.
According to the May 16 print edition of The Communicator newspaper in Santa Rosa, the city recently took control of the refurbished and century-old Ilfeld-Johnson Warehouse just off Route 66 near downtown Santa Rosa after the Guadalupe Community Development Corp.’s lease ended in late April.
Meier said he envisioned several mini-museums in the warehouse:
One would focus on the region’s Spanish colonial history, complete with “helmets, swords and breastplates” worn by Spanish conquistadors.
Another museum-within-the-museum would celebrate rock ‘n roll history, noting that rock pioneer Buddy Holly recorded his early hits in Clovis.
Mini-museums would also include an area noting Route 66’s association with auto racing, railroads and folk art, he said. […]
He said he plans to include a “high-end” gift shop in the museum that he said would not compete with existing gift shops in the area but would cater to the “high rollers” driving through town.
Meier said he liked the warehouse because of its cathedral-like ceilings and ample space. The newspaper reported that city councilors and audience members “responded enthusiastically” to Meier’s ideas.
His Classical Gas Museum in Embudo, New Mexico, north of Santa Fe, contains old neon signs, gas pumps and other petroliana. It was unclear whether he would move all or part of his collection to the Santa Rosa museum.
Meier also said such a museum would give Route 66 travelers more to do once they were settled in for the night at one of the city’s motels and would boost downtown businesses.
Meier noted, however, if the museum drew an expected 20,000 visitors a year and each paid a $5 admission fee, the $100,000 in review would not be enough to support staff. Meier said the museum would have to rely on volunteers to operate at the beginning.
The city council plans more discussions with Meier during a special meeting Thursday during preliminary budget discussions for the fiscal year that begins July 1.
Whether the city green-lights Meier’s plan is another matter; the newspaper reported his plans for a Route 66 museum in Santa Rosa have spanned four city administrations with no action.
(Image of Johnnie Meier’s Classical Gas Museum in Embudo, New Mexico, by Rex Gray via Flickr)
Johnnie is full of great ideas!
That builidng is beyond cool. Now if we can get the new owner of the Sahara Lounge sign to donate the sign to the museum–we are off to the races!