The National Trust for Historic Preservation announced its latest grants from its Preserve Route 66 program totaling $135,835.
Among the grants awarded are preservation work on an Albuquerque building where Microsoft started, funds to pursue a National Register of Historic Places listing for the Gasconade River Bridge near Hazelgreen, Missouri, and an educational program about the California citrus industry at the Sam and Alfreda Maloof Foundation in Rancho Cucamonga.
The Preserve Route 66 initiative began in 2018 with a cross-country caravan focused on collecting stories and gathering signatures in support of making Historic Route 66 part of the National Historic Trail network.
That work is ongoing, but several grant programs have been created to help legacy businesses and local organizations preserve the road and provide economic development before Route 66’s centennial next year.
Here are the latest grant awards:
- Museum buildout for the Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66 in Joliet, Illinois, for $10,000.
- Water tower restoration Project for CORE of McLean in McLean, Illinois, for $10,000.
- Preservation toolkit enhancement for the Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership for $10,000.
- National Register of Historic Places listing for the Gasconade River Bridge for the Route 66 Association of Missouri near Hazelgreen, Missouri, for $4,200.
- Roadside Attraction Sign project for the Lebanon-Laclede County Route 66 Society in Lebanon, Missouri, for $5,900.
- Route 66 Odyssey film exhibition series for the Circle Cinema in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for $10,000.
- Wings of Route 66 educational kiosk for the Tulsa Air and Space Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for $10,000.
- Signage installation for Greenwood Walking Tour mobile application for Greenwood Rising in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for $10,000.
- Enhancement to storytelling at the Microsoft founding property for Revitalize San Pedro Partnership in Albuquerque for $3,000.
- Publication of guidebooks including maps, photography and postcards, for the Historic Santa Fe Foundation in Santa Fe, New Mexico, for $9,019.
- Building Restoration at the Osterman Service Station for the Hualapai Tribe in Peach Springs, Arizona, for $10,000.
- Roof and facility repair for the California Historic Route 66 Museum in Victorville, California, for $4,440.
- Development of learning curriculum for the historic citrus industry for the Sam and Alfred Maloof Foundation for Arts and Crafts in Rancho Cucamonga, California, for $9,276.
- Exterior enhancements to a 1927 service station for the California Historic Route 66 Association in Monrovia, California, for $10,000.
- Artist workshops and mosaic mural installation for the Glendora Historical Society in Glendora, California, for $10,000.
- State-specific Route 66 centennial lesson educational development for Cinefemme for $10,000.
“It’s an exciting time for Route 66, especially as we approach the 2026 centennial anniversary,” said Amy Webb, senior director of preservation programs at the National Trust. “Route 66 could be the most beloved highway in America, but there are still so many worthy projects that could benefit from additional resources to ensure the Mother Road is preserved and vibrant for the next generation.”
“Route 66 is a road of incredible history,” said Rhys Martin, manager of the Preserve Route 66 initiative and president of the Oklahoma Route 66 Association. “That story isn’t just contained between the curbs of the road itself, but in the communities that it came through. Some of these grant recipients, like Greenwood Rising in Tulsa, are members of a community that wasn’t on the original highway purposefully, but their voice is important and part of the greater American story.”
“We’re wrapping up a round of Legacy Business grants now, which aims to help long-time businesses and historic properties along the Route 66 corridor,” Martin added. “Later this year, we’ll have another round of our non-profit and public agency grant as well as a third round of Legacy Business grants.”
(Image of the Gasconade River Bridge near Hazelgreen, Missouri, courtesy of MaryPetrina Photography)