The Crossroads Diner in Mount Olive, Illinois, apparently closed early this year, and the longer it remains shuttered, the chance it will reopen keeps shrinking.
A reader alerted me to the closing a few days ago. In case you can’t read it, the photograph above shows a message in the windows: “Closed. Thank you for your support.”
I found no mention of the restaurant’s closing on Facebook in recent months. However, one online review on Yelp showed the Crossroads still was open in December. Other online reviews on TripAdvisor indicate the restaurant closed in January or March. So it’s been closed for at least four months and maybe six.
Another online review indicates the restaurant saw a change in management sometime last year.
Macoupin County property records state the property’s owner is John Oltman of Avon, Colorado, about two hours west of Denver. The fair cash value is $78,960, which isn’t much for a commercial enterprise.
According to an article a few years ago by the Springfield State Journal-Register, the Crossroads was built in 1953 at the intersection of Route 66 and Illinois 138, hence its name. The Oltmans are the original owners but have leased it out for years.
The newspaper stated:
It is different than most diners because it has two horseshoe counters, which make up the original diner space. Then in the mid-’60s, an additional dining area and larger kitchen were added on.
In the ’50s, the Crossroads also had a gas station on the lot that eventually was closed, according to the association. This old diner is still a favorite place with truck drivers because of the easy access off Interstate 55 at exit 44. There is a large lot where truckers can park for the night.
It seems the Crossroads never found a lot of favor with Route 66 enthusiasts. That probably is because most Route 66 travelers take the 1926-1940 alignment of Route 66 into the heart of Mount Olive — mostly to see Mother Jones’ grave in Union Miners Cemetery and the closed but impeccably preserved Soulsby Station. The Crossroads sits on the often overlooked 1940-1977 alignment that swings west of town.
The future of the Crossroads looks dim after a long closure. But hope springs eternal on Route 66. The Launching Pad Drive-In’s future looked terrible after was closed for seven years. But the energetic and creative Holly Barker and Tully Garrett reopened it to long lines of customers earlier this year. Perhaps all the Crossroads Diner needs is a similarly inspired restaurateur.
(Hat tip to Gary Alexander; photo of the closed Crossroads Diner courtesy of Steve Chodes)
The Crossroads has been closed for over 6 months. Seems like there never is a long term management of. Hopefully like several times years past it will reopen again in near future.