The city council of Joplin, Missouri, on Monday night unanimously voted to approve a special-use permit for Dale’s Ole 66 Barber Shop that would allow an artist to set up a gallery and visitors center there, according to the Joplin Globe.
The barber shop, owned by Dale Holly’s widow, is in a former Phillips 66 cottage-style gas station on an old alignment of Route 66 at 2312 Utica St.
Len Nordmann, an automotive and Route 66 artist based in California, wants to buy the property and set up a gallery and visitors center and a display of Holly’s antique barber equipment. But doing so required rezoning because the property reverted to residential status after Dale Holly’s death.
From the story:
“It’s a miracle this Phillips 66 filling station remains where it was built,” said Ron Hart, director of the Route 66 Chamber of Commerce, of Dale’s Ole 66 Barber Shop. He said many Route 66 filling stations were torn down or moved over the years since they were built as early as the 1920s.
Hart worked for years to find a buyer for Dale’s Ole 66 Barber Shop, including when Dale was still alive. It appears that might finally happen.
(Hat tip: Ron Hart)
This is a wonderful cause … Ole Route66.