A University of Oklahoma team recently received funding from the nonprofit Oklahoma Humanities organization to develop a Route 66 Placemaking Communities Retreat that includes a living-museum experience at Threatt Filling Station near Luther, Oklahoma.
The team also wants to develop a Route 66-themed design experience in Hydro, Oklahoma. The efforts are being done before Route 66’s centennial in 2026.
More from the OU announcement:
The team received this grant through the “Grants for Humanities Discussions” program, which provides funding for public projects that bring the humanities to life through community conversations. Their project aims to strengthen Route 66 visibility at the eastern and western Oklahoma borders. The team plans to create an inviting placemaking activation in Hydro, a rural town located along Route 66 that was once known for its plentiful well water supply and agriculture development.
They will also develop a living-museum experience at the Threatt Filling Station in Luther to bring visibility to this historic Black site. This gas station once acted as a refuge for Black travelers along the Mother Road in the early to mid-1900s. However, it is now listed as one of America’s Most Endangered Historic Places by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
In Spring 2024, the team will carry out site visits and retreat-style conversations in partnership with community members. During these site visits, they will conduct workshops that focus on how these places connect to regional and national narratives. The team will explore several topics with community members, including:
— What stories infuse the landscape?
— How does place shape ideas about community belonging?
— How do community stories connect to the broader Route 66 story?
Perspectives elicited during these workshops will inform the community and design partnership with the IQC. Following the site visits and retreats, the IQC will prepare a public report with key takeaways, design concepts and placemaking recommendations.
Built by Allen Threatt in 1915, the gas station remains one of the few surviving Black-owned businesses along Route 66. The bungalow-style station made of rock from the Threatt farm’s quarry was designated to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.
The Threatt Filling Station operated until the 1960s or ’70s, when it was converted into living quarters.
In recent years, the station has received grants from the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, plus benefited from a fundraiser led by Oklahoma Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell.
(Image of the Threatt Filling Station in 2014 by Melodbit via Wikimedia Commons)
