The Old Courthouse, a landmark in downtown St. Louis, will reopen on May 3 after undergoing two years of renovations. Officials with Gateway Arch National Park and the nonprofit Gateway Arch Park Foundation announced the reopening date last week, reported the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The courthouse is part of the national park. The $27.5 million … Continue reading Old Courthouse in St. Louis will reopen on May 3 after a two-year renovation
Author: Ron Warnick
I'm the editor and publisher of Route 66 News, a clearinghouse of events, information, and entertainment pertaining to historic U.S. 66, the Mother Road.
Route 66 Postcard Road Trip named as finalist in StoryMaps competition
The National Trust for Historic Preservation's Route 66 Postcard Road Trip has been selected as one of 11 finalists in the Humanities category for the 2024 ArcGIS StoryMaps competition. The Route 66 Postcard Road Trip was selected from over 570 submissions from student and professional storytellers invited to “build stories about the world they want to see.” … Continue reading Route 66 Postcard Road Trip named as finalist in StoryMaps competition
Fire heavily damages Olive Oatman Restaurant & Saloon, Oatman General Store buildings
A fire on Thursday night heavily damaged the closed Olive Oatman Restaurant & Saloon and the adjoining Oatman General Store in downtown Oatman, Arizona. Fire crews first responded to the blaze at 9:52 p.m. local time, reported the Mohave Daily News. "I got a call last night at 9:45, there was a smell of smoke … Continue reading Fire heavily damages Olive Oatman Restaurant & Saloon, Oatman General Store buildings
IHOP will try to break pancakes world record on Santa Monica Pier on Saturday
IHOP at the Santa Monica Pier will seek to break a Guinness World Record by serving 20,000 pancakes in an eight-hour period on Saturday to commemorate National Pancake Day, which actually is on March 4. The event, dubbed "20K for Pancake Day," aims to serve up all those pancakes from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. … Continue reading IHOP will try to break pancakes world record on Santa Monica Pier on Saturday
Plans unveiled for Route 66 Research Center at UNM in Albuquerque
An award-winning architect recently unveiled plans for the federally funded Route 66 Research Center at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. The center, part of UNM's library system and its Center for Southwest Research, will be housed in a former Cadillac dealership. Architect Mark Baker is behind the plans. Among his numerous award-winning projects … Continue reading Plans unveiled for Route 66 Research Center at UNM in Albuquerque
County receives $25,000 grant to repaint Rainbow Bridge near Riverton
Cherokee County, Kansas, recently received a $25,000 Attraction Development grant from the Kansas Department of Commerce to help repaint the Rainbow Bridge, aka the Marsh Arch Bridge, near Riverton. According to the Route 66 Association of Kansas, Gearhead Curios owner and association Vice President Aaron Perry and association newsletter editor Machelle Smith approached the county … Continue reading County receives $25,000 grant to repaint Rainbow Bridge near Riverton
Vacant Millennium Hotel in downtown St. Louis to be razed for new development
The long-vacant Millennium Hotel in downtown St. Louis will be torn down to make way for a new development by the same folks who developed Ballpark Village near Busch Stadium, home to the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team. The Gateway Arch Park Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving the nearby national park, chose The Cordish Cos. … Continue reading Vacant Millennium Hotel in downtown St. Louis to be razed for new development
Albuquerque unveils website to count down to Route 66’s centennial, related events
The City of Albuquerque unveiled a new website last week that counts down to Route 66's centennial in 2026 and events related to it. The $34,000 website -- at visitalbuquerque.org/route-66-centennial -- was announced on Tuesday at the still-not-open, $13 million Route 66 Visitors Center on the city's west side. The Albuquerque Journal reported an opening … Continue reading Albuquerque unveils website to count down to Route 66’s centennial, related events
Netflix to release feature documentary film about 2011 Joplin tornado
Next month, Netflix will release a full-length documentary film about the 2011 tornado that ravaged the Route 66 town of Joplin, Missouri. Deadline, which first reported the news, said the film is titled "The Twister: Caught in the Storm." Here is the trailer: https://youtu.be/2o0eLtapwr0?si=Jir4ba96u4AhSF3Z More from Deadline: The coming-of-age feature-length documentary is told from the … Continue reading Netflix to release feature documentary film about 2011 Joplin tornado
National Trust announces latest round of Preserve Route 66 grant recipients
The National Trust for Historic Preservation announced its latest grants from its Preserve Route 66 program totaling $135,835. Among the grants awarded are preservation work on an Albuquerque building where Microsoft started, funds to pursue a National Register of Historic Places listing for the Gasconade River Bridge near Hazelgreen, Missouri, and an educational program about … Continue reading National Trust announces latest round of Preserve Route 66 grant recipients