The Boots Court motel in Carthage, Missouri, began taking reservations for overnight stays last week after the historic Route 66 property underwent months of renovations under new ownership.
The motel’s Facebook page stated on July 21 it had five rooms ready for overnight guests and welcomed its first customers.
The next day, it made the official announcement:
Reservations can be booked online at bootscourt66.com or by calling (417)-310-2989.
Work on the Boots Court is ongoing. It should have a dozen rooms available when it’s finished. The Carthage-based Boots Court Foundation that owns the motel stated months ago it wanted to be open by the city’s Maple Leaf Festival in mid-October.
The ownership also is taking tax-deductible donations to help restore the property:
Work underway includes addressing rotted floors & walls, roof repair, solving water issues inside & outside the motel, replacing heating/AC units, repairing original bathroom tile, fixing exterior stucco & tile, replacing missing & rotted windows & more – whew, what a huge & exciting undertaking! Once completed, The Boots will be the second oldest operating motel on the Route, offering all 13 rooms with the historic feel & experience of the original Boots Court.
The motel earlier this month was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places.
The Boots Court was built in 1939 by Arthur Boots. Actor Clark Gable stayed there several times during cross-country trips from his native Ohio; he rested his head in Room No. 6.
The motel came close to being demolished in the early 2000s when its owner, citing poor health, sold it to a local developer. Speculation was the motel would be razed for a Walgreens. An outcry from the Route 66 Association of Missouri and other preservationists apparently scared off the developers.
The previous co-owners bought the property in 2011 and reopened it to overnight guests after months of renovations to restore it to its 1940s appearance, including “a radio in every room” and no televisions. They also removed a gabled roof to bring the motel back to its flat-roof appearance.
(Postcard image of the Boots Court motel in Carthage, Missouri, courtesy of 66Postcards.com)