If you have a few minutes, read this long feature in the Washington Missourian about L.B. Eckelkamp Jr., the longtime owner of the Diamond Inn Motel in Villa Ridge, Missouri. The Diamond Inn, which turned 50 years old not long ago, probably will be torn down by the time you read this. Ultimately, the motel, … Continue reading Newspaper talks to longtime owner of the doomed Diamond Inn Motel in Villa Ridge
Tag: Gardenway Motel
Diamond Inn Motel near Villa Ridge to be torn down in the coming weeks
The long-closed Diamond Inn Motel along old Route 66 in Villa Ridge, Missouri, will be razed in the next couple of months -- meeting the same fate as the nearby Gardenway Motel. The Washington Missourian had the story: Both properties, which are owned by members of the Eckelkamp family, are slated for redevelopment. “It’s hard … Continue reading Diamond Inn Motel near Villa Ridge to be torn down in the coming weeks
Gardenway Motel in Villa Ridge is torn down
The historic but closed Gardenway Motel in Villa Ridge, Missouri, was torn down last week, culminating a long decline for the Route 66 property. A number of Route 66 travelers and locals posted photographs and a video of the buildings being razed. A photographer posted this requiem of the motel: The Gardenway's demise had been … Continue reading Gardenway Motel in Villa Ridge is torn down
Rooftop letters taken down from Gardenway Motel in Villa Ridge
The large rooftop letters at the closed and increasingly dilapidated Gardenway Motel in Villa Ridge, Missouri, were removed Monday and eventually will be displayed at the forthcoming museum and visitor center at the Red Cedar Inn in nearby Pacific, Missouri. Longtime Route 66 enthusiast Joe Sonderman posted photos on Facebook of workers removing the large … Continue reading Rooftop letters taken down from Gardenway Motel in Villa Ridge
Neon sign at Gardenway Motel in Villa Ridge taken down for safekeeping
A collector of advertising, including neon signs, reported Wednesday the neon letters and other elements from the sign of the long-closed Gardenway Motel in Villa Ridge, Missouri, had been removed, leaving nothing but stone frame and foundation. However, the president of the Route 66 Association of Missouri reported the sign was taken down "for its … Continue reading Neon sign at Gardenway Motel in Villa Ridge taken down for safekeeping
A glimpse of Route 66 in Villa Ridge in 1994
Dan Uscian recently uploaded video footage from 1994 of three Route 66 business in near Villa Ridge, Missouri -- the Tri-County Truck Stop, the Gardenway Motel and the Diamonds restaurant. https://youtu.be/DeHqJ70YEc8 The Diamonds and Gardenway are closed. The Tri-County Truck Stop closed for several years, but was reborn this year as the Diamonds Trading Post auction … Continue reading A glimpse of Route 66 in Villa Ridge in 1994
Gardenway Motel closes
The historic Gardenway Motel in Villa Ridge, Missouri, abruptly closed Monday for as-yet-undetermined reasons, reported Jim Thole with the Route 66 Association of Missouri. Thole tried to contact the Eckelkamp family, which has owned the motel for nearly 70 years, to find out why, to no avail. A phone call to the motel Thursday went … Continue reading Gardenway Motel closes