Roamin’ Rich Dinkela, president of the Route 66 Association of Missouri and a well-known champion of Route 66 on social media, made an offer to buy the historic Shamrock Court near Sullivan, Missouri, and likely will close on the deal next month.
Dinkela said in a phone interview he isn’t going into the motel business. His plan is to make improvements on the long-closed Route 66 motel — including a new roof — and sell it to another party that will preserve and operate it.
“I’m in the preservation business,” he said. “I’m buying it to keep it from getting destroyed.”
Dinkela declined to reveal the price he’s offered for the property.
Dinkela said at least three people previously expressed interest in buying and preserving the motel, but the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic scuttled those plans.
He says he has no intention of running it himself because he has a wife and five children at home.
“I’m hoping for a Kevin and Nancy Mueller to take it over,” he said, referring to the former owners of the iconic Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, New Mexico. “This is the Blue Swallow Motel of Missouri.”
He added he’s hard-pressed to think of a more historic motel standing on Route 66 between Sullivan and Chicago.
Dinkela said he plans to apply for a cost-share grant from the recently revived program run by the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program to replace the roof. The program long has shown a preference for proposals to replace roofs and other projects that give long-term protection to historic structures.
Dinkela also hopes to eventually re-create the neon sign that once was at the property.
Those who are interesting in buying the property from Dinkela can email him at rich@hookedonroute66.com or call (314) 369-4366.
Dinkela oversaw a volunteer crew at the Shamrock Court in November to perform some needed work there, including the subflooring. He is looking for vintage chairs to re-create the look in the vintage postcard of the motel, shown above.
The giraffe-stone motel dates to the late 1940s and has been owned by the Weiland family for nearly 70 years.
In the late 1970s, the motel was converted into efficiency apartments with living quarters for the longtime owners, John and Rose Weiland, until they died.
UPDATE 4/14/2021: Billy Weiland announced on Facebook that ownership of the motel was transferred to Dinkela that morning.
(Postcard images of the Shamrock Court in Sullivan, Missouri, courtesy of 66Postcards.com)
That’s awesome to hear that! Good job Rich! I hope to see this done up as the Wagon Wheel is because we love staying there.
Rich, Thanks for all you do in preserving iconic sites on the Mother Road. You and a few others are fine leaders in this movement… Wishing you the best in getting it going again….
Excellent news!