Local and state officials helped christen the opening of the Route 66 Village Station welcome center Wednesday in southwest Tulsa, modeled after a 1930s Phillips 66 gas station.
The Improve Our Tulsa package, approved by voters in 2013, covered the $550,000 project at 3770 Southwest Blvd. (Route 66). The station is part of the Route 66 Village complex.
The Tulsa World reports:
The Route 66 Village Station will serve as a tourism information center. It includes a coffee bar, restrooms and a huge map of Route 66. […]
In addition to the train cars and tourism station, the Route 66 Village also includes a huge replica of an oil derrick and three vintage pump jacks.
Massey said plans call for construction of a second gas station, and a 5,000-square-foot train station that would serve as a meeting space. […]
The second one will be built to look like Phillips stations from the 1940s, ‘50s and ‘60s, he said.
KTUL-TV in Tulsa produced a news video about the opening:
Oklahoma Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell, a big Route 66 proponent, attended the ceremony and made a few remarks:
“We are building something pretty spectacular in the state when it comes to Route 66. Showing visible progress when it comes to Route 66 development is so important to keep the morale up. It’s so important for economic development to make sure that we are promoting tourism in a city because it is the front door to all the rest of the economic development that we want to do.”
(Image of the Route 66 Village Station via City of Tulsa)