Trade Winds Inn in Clinton, best known for its Elvis Room, may be demolished

The Trade Winds Inn motel in Clinton, Oklahoma — best known for its Elvis Room where Elvis Presley stayed during his cross-country road trips — may be demolished with the possibility the local school district might use the property.

The Clinton Daily News (subscription required) reported last week the Clinton Economic Development Authority will discuss requesting funding from the city to acquire and demolish the motel at 2128 W. Gary Blvd. (aka Route 66).

The interlocal agreement, already approved by the Clinton Board of Education, details the agreement between the two entities which includes that CPS and CEDA will partner for the acquisition, demolition,
protection and use of the Tradewinds property. According to the agreement, CEDA will be responsible for the demolition of the property and will pay the expense of that.

The agreement also details that CEDA will be responsible for the purchase of the property, the cost of the survey and title examination, insurance and security of the property along with the total cost of the demolition. CPS will be responsible for the purchase amount of the property from CEDA, which is not
to exceed $300,000.

CPS’ plans for the property include using the site for storage throughout its multi-year capital improvement plan along with parking, but other possible uses in the future could be found.

The CEDA will discuss the possible acquisition and demolition of the property during a special meeting
Tuesday. If approved, the authority then would request funding from the city council.

The Trade Winds has kept a room in tribute to Elvis Presley for years. More from RoadsideAmerica.com:

When Elvis Presley and his entourage drove from Memphis to Vegas, the best midway point, in his opinion, was The Trade Winds Motel in Clinton, OK. The best room, in his opinion, was Room 215. So he stayed there on four separate occasions. To preserve that memory, Trade Winds’ management has kept the room decorated the way it was during the Swingin’ Sixties. The suite (his entourage stayed in the other room) contains a black Naughahyde fainting couch/Fold-A-Bed combo, green pile carpeting, and fixtures from a happy time gone by.

Here is a photo from two years ago of the Elvis Room:

More history from the Route 66 Times:

The motel opened with 61 guest rooms, a swimming pool, a beauty salon, a coffee shop, a dining room, and a Tonga Club. Some suites had a “Sun Deck” patio. Maybe the most unusual amenity was a 16 lane bowling alley. Room rates range from $7.00 to 40.00 when the motel was new in 1965.

It was originally the Master Hosts Motor Hotel which later became the Best Western Trade Winds Motel. The hotel was first opened by Walter S. Mason Jr. in 1963. Mason went on to become the president of the Best Western International in 1984 by which time the motel had been renamed the Tradewinds Courtyard Inn. He owned the motel until 2004. Mason also donated land across the road for the Route 66 Museum.

The Trade Winds already was in decline when we first became interested in Route 66 more than 20 years ago. According to the latest online reviews, it rates 1.5 to 2.6 stars out of five, which is terrible.

(Image of the Trade Winds motel in Clinton, Oklahoma, via Facebook)