The historic but closed Gardenway Motel in Villa Ridge, Missouri, was torn down last week, culminating a long decline for the Route 66 property.
A number of Route 66 travelers and locals posted photographs and a video of the buildings being razed.
A photographer posted this requiem of the motel:
The Gardenway’s demise had been telegraphed for years, starting with its closure in 2014, the neon sign being taken down in 2019 by advertising collector Nathan Lippe for safekeeping, then workers removing the large letters from its rooftop two years ago so they can be displayed at the forthcoming Route 66 visitor center at the former Red Cedar Inn restaurant in nearby Pacific, Missouri.
According to the late Skip Curtis in his out-of-print “The Missouri 66 Tour Book,” the motel was built in 1945. The book contained this information:
Named for the Henry Shaw Gardenway (Old 66), this motel was built at its western terminus. The first units were constructed by Louis Eckelkamp a short distance from his family’s home. The motel grew to 41 rooms, all with tile baths. Wonderful sign!
According to Quinta Scott’s book, “Along Route 66”:
Once 66 was abandoned to the interstate that cut through the hill below, Eckelkamp added the long GARDENWAY sign on the roof to notify travelers on I-44 of accommodations up on the ridge.
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Yet another disappearance on the 66. The site was abandoned but it’s a shame.
My desktop wallpaper is a picture of this motel with a ford mustang parked next to the sign.
As a tribute, the gardenway’s sign will be the next model I will create when I finish the Desert hills motel in Tulsa.
Oh, drat. I liked their signs. Last time I stayed there, the bathroom was infested with ants. I was brushing my teeth and couldn’t figure out why there were black particles in my spit. It was ants. They were on my toothbrush and I was so out of it I hadn’t noticed.