Lurvey Courts in Springfield may be demolished soon

The long-closed Lurvey Courts motel in Springfield, Missouri, likely will face the wrecking ball in a few weeks unless something drastic happens, and soon.

KOLR-TV posted a story Monday, reporting the Route 66 property will be demolished by the end of April or May.

I suspect the station was tipped off by a Facebook post by Route 66 enthusiast Blue Miller (of the well-researched Never Quite Lost blog), who posted this Saturday:

The station talked to a city official about the overgrown property:

According to Harlan Hill with the City of Springfield’s Building Development Services, that shroud of brush is enough cover to attract the city’s homeless population.

“Those structures do meet our definition for a dangerous building,” Hill told KOLR10 reporter Nyzah McDonald. “They are open and vacant and there has been evidence of vagrants and homeless utilizing those structures.”

The motel still is listed on the Points of Interest page through the city’s annual Birthplace of Route 66 Festival:

In Springfield, there are many traces Route 66 still available for the traveler to visit. Starting in the 1920s, motor courts were available on almost every corner of Kearney Street and Glenstone Avenue. Many have been razed, but one that still stands is Lurvey’s Court Stone Cabins at 2939 E. Kearney Street (old Route 66) near Springfield’s eastern city limits.

While long out of business, these handsome sandstone cottages had two units in each building and are located on the north side of Kearney.

In 1928, motel owners Burt and Irene Lurvey moved their cabins a short distance into Springfield from Strafford. Kearney Street was still under construction. There were originally 12 units in six buildings. In the 1970s, the cabins were converted to rentals.

The cabins currently belong to Jean and Joan Lurvey, Burt and Irene’s twin daughters.

Jonathan Sharp posted some recent photos of the motel on Flickr:

(Postcard image of Lurvey’s Motel, aka Lurvey Courts, in Springfield, Missouri, courtesy of 66Postcards.com)