Then and Now
 |
 |
Closed, unless you have dreams... |
Traveling Route 66 is a study in contrasts. It is a wake-up call, a nostalgic lump in the throat, a moment of joy, a frustrated shake of the head, a tear in the eye. No two miles elicit the same emotions. Around every turn, something is either coming or going, experiencing the cycle of life. Nowhere is this more evident than in the structures along the Mother Road. Some will never change. Others are gone forever. Most are somewhere in between.
Here are some Route 66 places, mostly motels, caught in the act of living or dying. Compare the old with the new and make your own decisions.
 |
 |
Now an Elks Club.  |
 |
 |
The beautiful sign remains; the motel is abandoned. |
 |
 |
What was once in a country setting is now in a bustling city. Cabins, miraculously, remain, but are hemmed in by billboards, structures, and a busy roadway. (Razed since this writing, I understand.) |
 |
 |
A breath of fresh air. Owners have kept the motel open, clean, inviting. The beautiful sign remains. Gaps between individual buildings have been filled in, but otherwise little has changed. |
 |
 |
No longer tidy, the big tree long gone, Star Courts appear to be being used as transient apartments. The signboard remains, but the letters have faded. |
 |
 |
Although the name has been changed to the Melinda Court, the basic structure of the intersting stone cabins has not changed a bit. Although it does not look prosperous, it appears that the Rock Fountain is open, possibly for long-term transients. |
 |
 |
The sign is the same, but the priorities are different. Back then, refrigerated air and TV were big draws. Today it’s free HBO and local calls, and kitchenettes. |
 |
66 Motel, Tulsa, OK
Torn down in 2000. Current property owners are building a warehouse on the land, but plan to display the old motel sign.
 |
Gas Station, Afton, OK
Was on National Register, but has been razed. Only two vintage stations remain in Afton, where there were once a dozen. One is being turned into a Route 66 Visitors Center (see Afton Station Project page).
Was on National Register, but has been razed. Only two vintage stations remain in Afton, where there were once a dozen. One is being turned into a Route 66 Visitors Center (see Afton Station Project page).
 |
Green Country Inn, w. of Vinita, OK
Restored, reopened, then closed again. A restoration project that failed. It is now residential “apartments”.
 |
66 Cafe, Afton, OK
Burned summer of 1999, owner forced to move restaurant off of Route 66. Building now used as an auction company office.
Burned summer of 1999, owner forced to move restaurant off of Route 66. Building now used as an auction company office.
 |
Brookhaven Court, e. of Tulsa, OK
Sign remains, and a few small buildings on private property now.
Motels and The Mother Road | Route 66 | What's on the back? |Afton Station Project
Then and Now | The Packards | Links | Contact Laurel
Sign Guestbook | Read Guestbook
Top of Site
Email Laurel Here
Copyright (©) 1999-2008 PostcardsFromTheRoad.Net
Design by Village Fair Web Designs