A recent Instagram post answered a question: What happened to the Ozark Court motel sign in St. Clair, Missouri, that disappeared from Route 66 almost 20 years ago?
A collector with extensive historical ties to the St. Louis region procured the sign, which he plans to include in a Route 66 exhibit at the National Museum of Transportation in 2025, just before the highway’s centennial.
The antiquewarehousestl account on Instagram posted this earlier this week:
The person behind the account is Greg Rhomberg, owner and curator of the St. Louis-based Antique Warehouse. Rhomberg also owns Rhomberg Farms in south St. Louis County and Nu Way Concrete Forms.
His fascination with neon signs has persisted for as long as he can remember.
“I’ve always been interested in neon,” he said in a phone interview. “I don’t know why … Nostalgia, I guess.”
He estimates he owns about 100 outdoor neon signs, many of which are porcelain enamel. As for one of his latest acquisitions, he said he bought the Ozark Court sign in October from the estate of “a prominent collector” who died earlier that month.
Rhomberg also bought from the estate a neon clock from La Casa Grande Motel. That completes his collection from that Route 66 motel in St. Louis, which includes the large neon sign and a neon arrow. He also owns the Airport Motel sign that once stood on Lindbergh Boulevard (aka Route 66) in Bridgeton, Missouri, and the Westward Motel sign in St. Louis.
He owns signs that once were part of Ted Drewes Frozen Custard, Carl’s Drive-In, Chippewa Motel and Chain of Rocks Motel — all along Route 66 in the region.
He provided a majority of the neon signs displayed during a 2016 Route 66 exhibit at the Missouri History Museum that drew about 400,000 people in one year — the most popular show in its history.
He also serves as a trustee of the Missouri Historical Society and as co-manager of the National Museum of Transportation.
That brings us to Rhomberg’s intent to organize a Route 66 exhibit at the National Museum of Transportation. He wants to open it in late 2025 — in time for Route 66’s 100th anniversary in 2026.
He said he’s going to enlist the help of other Route 66 sign collectors for the exhibit, including items he said haven’t been seen in public for almost 40 years.
He said he also would solicit Route 66 memorabilia and photographs for the show. Anyone who thinks they have something of interest should email him at grr@antiquewhs.com. He said he’s putting out the call for Route 66 items now because it takes time to organize such an exhibit.
As for the Ozark Court sign, Rhomberg said he’s eager to have it fully restored.
“I can remember it when I was 5 years old because we have a family farm in Stanton,” he said. “But I’ve never seen it lit. I’m really excited about it.”
Rhomberg posted on Instagram the data he’s uncovered on the sign. It was manufactured in 1952 by the West Gate Neon Sign Co. in St. Clair. A collector procured the sign in 2002.
Rhomberg said he joined Instagram to keep up with the activities of his four daughters.
He said he’s now using the Antique Warehouse account on the platform to pass along images and information about his neon signs.
(Image by Jim Thole of the Ozark Court motel neon sign in St. Clair, Missouri, during the 1990s courtesy of 66Postcards.com)
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