The Kendall Whittier neighborhood in Tulsa will receive a $130,000 grant from the state’s Main Street program to create a neon Route 66 shield and other neon accents.
The Oklahoma Department of Commerce announced the grants earlier this month. Nearby Sapulpa also received one.
The Tulsa World reported on the Kendall-Whittier award:
The Kendall Whittier Main Street Program put in for funding for a neon “Route 66 Shield” and neon “striping accents” to help it show off its place as a Route 66 community. The $130,000 also will allow for investments in streetlight banners, colorful vinyl murals to be wrapped around utility boxes, and new signs in English and Spanish. Money also will be used to repair a historic community clock.
With a mix of art studios, breweries, restaurants, a historic theater and “non-mainstream” retail, Kendall Whittier identifies as a “funky corner” of Tulsa just northwest of the University of Tulsa. Its Main Street Program works with local businesses, property owners and other community partners to give the neighborhood color and vibrancy.
Kendall Whittier is east of downtown Tulsa. Route 66 went through the area, including on Second Street and Lewis Avenue, from 1926 to 1932.
The $150,000 grant to Sapulpa will be used to help reconstruct the roadway and infrastructure for Dewey Avenue (aka Route 66).
Because of the construction, the Route 66 Christmas Chute announced it would pause the annual event along that corridor in 2025 but return during Route 66’s centennial year in 2026.
(Excepted image from Google Street View of Kendall Whittier Square in Tulsa)