Ranch House Cafe, Tucumcari NM

Ranch House Cafe, Sign and Truck, Tucumcari NM
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Cool Springs, AZ

In 1997 Ned Leuchtner passed through the area. The beauty, history and majesty of the area intrigued him. When he found the ruins of Cool Springs, the spirit of the place fascinated and inspired him. Ned Leuchtner tried repeatedly to buy the property for three years but to no avail. Finally, in the summer of 2001, the owner called and said she wanted to sell. She was moved by Ned’s appeal to rebuild Cool Springs. The rebirth of Cool Springs had begun.

Source: Cool Springs

Cool Springs (1:25)

66 Diner, Albuquerque NM

Step back four decades and enjoy the 50s atmosphere of the 66 Diner. You will instantly be taken with the decor and the friendliness of the staff. Tom Willis, the owner and vice president of the New Mexico Route 66 Association, has certainly captured the spirit of the era.

Source: The Road Wanderer

66 Diner (1:25)

Allen's Conoco Fillin' Station, Commerce OK

A blast from the past, hole in the Wall Conoco Station, but Ethyl does not live there anymore. This tiny, former gas station, looks a little like a film set, but it is real, and was built in 1929/30, by F.D. Mitchell, probably another casualty of the interstate. It would appear that the Station became a Phillips 66 Gas Station in 1938. the station has been closed for at least the last 20 years. It is said that Bonnie & Clyde may have bought their gas here.

Source:  Waymarking.com

Allen's Conoco Fillin' Station (1:25)

Where can you find my models!!

I’m very proud that some of my models found a new home in museums in the USA. You can find them in Missouri, Illinois and California.

Nelson Tavern
Diamonds Restaurant
Gay Parita
Riviera Restaurant

Route 66 Museum Lebanon
Location:
915 S. Jefferson Ave.
Lebanon, MO 65536
Housed inside the large Lebanon-Laclede County Library, which is inside an old K-Mart. I-44 exit 129. Drive west on Jefferson Ave for a quarter-mile. The library will be on the left, in a shopping center. Look for the red library sign.
Website
Hours:
Mon.-Thu., 8 a.m.-8 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
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Standard Oil Gasoline Station

Pontiac Oakland Automobile Museum
Location:
205 N. Mill Street
Pontiac, IL 61764
The Pontiac-Oakland Museum is located a short distance off I-55 in downtown Pontiac, Illinois.
Website 
Hours:
Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. ; Sat.-Sun. 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Call for winter hours
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Bagdad Cafe

Route 66 Museum Victorville
Location:
16825 D Street
Victorville, CA 92395
The California Route 66 Museum is located on D Street, between Fifth Street and Sixth Street, in the heart of Old Town.
Website
Hours:
Mon., Thu., Fri., Sat. 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sun. 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Tuesday, Wednesday by appointment
  
  
  

Delgadillo's Snow Cap Drive-In, Seligman Arizona

Delgadillo's Snow Cap Drive-In is a historic eatery and roadside attraction located along former Route 66 in Seligman, Arizona USA. The drive-in was built in 1953 by local resident Juan Delgadillo (May 17, 1916 - June 2, 2004). Delgadillo was working on an extremely limited budget, so he built the restaurant mostly from scrap lumber obtained from the nearby Santa Fe Railroad yard. To bring attention to the restaurant, Delgadillo sliced the roof off of a 1936 Chevrolet hardtop, adorned the automobile with paint, horns and various automotive emblems and even an artificial Christmas tree in the rear of the car.

 Delgadillo's flair for showmanship extended to his menu, which still features such choices as a "cheeseburger with cheese" and "dead chicken." His sense of humor is evident in "Juan's Garden" at the rear of the property with its collection of old automobiles and kitsch in general; the humorous approach extends to the building itself. Hand-painted signs in the parking area warn drivers that they are parking at their own risk. A neon sign in the window informs patrons, "Sorry, we're open." The door which leads to the counter has two knobs, one on the right and one on the left. The knob on the right is a dummy; the one on the left actually opens the door. Delgadillo would continue his humorous approach by bantering with his patrons over their choices of food, asking, for example, if they wanted cheese on their cheeseburgers.

While researching the history of Route 66 for the 2006 Disney/Pixar motion picture Cars, John Lasseter met Delgadillo's brother, Seligman barber and Route 66 historian, Angel Delgadillo, who told him how traffic through the town virtually disappeared on the day that nearby Interstate 40 opened. Both brothers are acknowledged in the film's credits. The restaurant is located within the Seligman Commercial Historic District, and is cited as one of the town's flamboyant examples of roadside architecture. Since Delgadillo's death in 2004, the Snow Cap has been run by his daughter Cecilia and son John, all whom work the counter in the same playful manner. The walls around the counter area itself are covered with business cards from all over the world.

Author Michael Wallis covers the history of the Snow Cap in his book, Route 66: The Mother Road. On a January 11, 2012 episode of the History Channel's "American Restoration" show, Angel asked the host to restore his nephews' old Wurlitzer jukebox from the 1950s to full working order, which he did.



Source: Wikipedia

Donor car (1/25), a gift from our good friends Jerry and Lynda Alger from Michican.

Bagdad Café, Newberry Springs CA

I decided to make a scale model of the Bagdad Café when it gets clear that our vacation in 2013 brings us to California. We drove the Route 66 in California but we missed some parts. And there are a lot of National and State Parks we want to visit, like Death Valley National Park, Yosemite National Park but also places like San Francisco and the best preserved ghost town in California, Bodie.

But something more about the Bagdad Café. This is not the original Bagdad Café, the actual one that existed in the 1960s when US Route 66 ran through town, was in the town of Bagdad. It included a café, a gasoline station, cabins for rent and an airstrip. When Interstate 40 opened and bypasses two-lane Route 66, commerce collapsed and the businesses that were once Bagdad, all closed and eventually the town was completely razed. It’s marked today by a clearing on the north side of old Route 66 and a single tree!

The scale model I made, was once known as the Sidewinder Café in Newberry Springs, California, 50 miles west of the original site of Bagdad on old U.S. 66. The Bagdad Café was made famous by the movie of the same name, that is shot in 1987. The film is a comedy set in a remote truck-stop café and motel in the Mojave Desert. It centers around two women who have recently separated from their husbands, and the blossoming friendship which ensues.

I like to thank Nick Gerlich and Paul Chassey for the pictures they made for me of the Bagdad Café, that was a great help!!!

The Dairy King, Commerce Oklahoma

One of my latest projects is the Diary King, This is a snack shop housed in an old historic Marathon Station in Commerce, Oklahoma. We visited this place in June 2012.

Charles Duboise and his mother, the owners of the Dairy King, told us a lot about the history of the Dairy King, the Route 66 and some other places in Commerce. Charles showed us a picture of the building when it still was a Marathon Station and told us he want to place some gas pumps outside and some other stuff so people can see how it was. They don’t want to become a Marathon Station again because they have a business now as a snack shop.

And he has a brand new business also, making “Route 66 Cookies”. He’s trade marking the name and the special cookie molds which he designed and manufactured himself. He told us he shipped the cookies to several countries in Europe. The cookies are very neat and are available in plain sugar and chocolate chip and they are delicious!!

But, talking to him and his mother and looking around, I knew that this is a building I’m going to make a scale model of. And I did, it’s finished already and now I’m thinking about a new project……

The delivery of the scale models!!

In 2012 we’re going to deliver some scale models to the Route 66 museum in Lebanon, Missouri. Our first meeting with this museum was in 2010 when they ask me to make their diorama complete. That is a whole story and you can read in the Show Me Route 66 magazine. They want to have all my scale models but shipping them to the USA is very expensive. But now we are going to the USA and we were able to take some models with us. It are the following models: The Diamonds Restaurant, The Riviera Roadhouse and Gay Parita. We take an extra suitcase with us and hope that the models will survive the journey!

And they did!! We opened the suitcase at the Munger Moss Motel in Lebanon and only the roof of Gay Parita had a little bit of damage but that could be repaired easily. Our room became very busy, everybody wants to see the models!

There was even a professional photographer, Virginia, who made a couple of hundreds of pictures of the models. Rich Dinkela was also there to interview me, there is going to be an article about me and the models in the “Show Me Route 66” magazine, a quarterly publication of The Route 66 Association of Missouri. And even Gary, the owner of Gay Parita was in Lebanon to see the model of his place. He was thrilled about it and keep on thanking me that I did this.

The next day we delivered the models to the museum. Cathy, the director, was very thankful. The models will get a nice place after they finished the renovation of the museum. Mark is doing a great job there, the place will look awesome when finished!

USA 2012

Route 66 here we come!!! In June 2012 we're going to deliver some scale models to the Route 66 Museum in Lebanon MO. But first we are going to meet Ken the Landrunner and his wife Melissa in Oklahoma City. From OK to Lebanon MO we drive the Route 66. In Lebanon we will meet several people, Judy and Cathy from the Museum, Ramona and Bob from Munger Moss, Jerry and Lynda from Michigan, maybe Gary from Gary´s Gay Parita and we will meet Rich Dinkela for an interview for the Show me Route 66 magazine and to sign the hood of his Route 66 truck.

Gary's Gay Parita

Paris Springs, Missouri

Gary's Gay Parita, Paris Springs MO (1:25).

The Gay Parita Station of today is one man's tribute to America's Main Street and the bygone way of life it symbolizes. That man's name is Gary Turner.

After retiring from a colorful working life, Gary decided he wanted to “keep the past from slipping away,” so he acquired from his brother-in-law, Steve Faucett, what we now know as Gay Parita—a reproduction of an early-twentieth-century Sinclair gasoline station. The original Gay Parita station had been established back in the 1930s by a couple named Fred and Gay Mason, and the original native-stone garage from that early era still stands on the property.

Stop by and make a friend: Gary wants you to have one of his personalized postcards as a keepsake of your trip of a lifetime on old U.S. 66.

Quote from: Route 66 University

Gary's Gay Parita

Scale Models, Standard Oil Co.

Odell, Illinois

This beautiful old gas station was built in 1932 and served travelers on Route 66 until the mid 1960s when it stopped selling gas. This station then was used as a body shop until it closed its doors in 1975. Years of neglect took their toll on this old Standard station. The station would have disappeared if it had not been for the preservation efforts of the Illinois Route 66 Association and their Preservation Committee. A total of $55,000, from grants, matching funds and donations was raised to restore this station to its former glory - not bad for a grass roots effort.

John and Lenore Weiss were the driving force behind this restoration. These two, along with the dedicated volunteers from the Preservation Committee, did what others said couldn't be done. Hampton Inn® even donated $10,000 for this worth while project. In fact it could be said that the Odell Station preservation project was the start of Hampton's interest in Route 66 with their Save-A-Landmark® project. Now this station has been restored to its former glory. The Odell Station may not sell gas anymore, but it has become a Mecca for the Route 66 road wanderer and is the focus of many car rallies and motorcycle tours.

Quote from: The Road Wanderer

Almost ready...

Standard Oil Co., Odell (1:25)

 

Scale Models, Riviera Roadhouse

Gardner, Illinois

Gardner's Gangster's Hangout


The Riviera Roadhouse in Gardner has a fascinating history. Jack Rittenhouse mentions it in his guide book as a cafe at the intersection of the road into Gardner and Route 66. The Riviera Restaurant and Tavern was built in 1928. James Girot, a South Wilmington businessman, moved buildings from Gardner and South Wilmington and put them all together to form the Riviera structure as it stands today. The Riviera is a true roadhouse! Once movie legends Gene Kelly and Tom Mix regularly stopped here. This was a favorite haunt of Al Capone and was known as a gangster hangout too. Slot machines and booze were offered to the discrete customer during prohibition. In fact, there's a freezer in the basement with a heavy iron door that was used to hide booze and gambling machines in case of a raid.

Today the Riviera still serves the traveler a good home cooked meal and a stop at the Riviera is to step back in time to the 1930s and 1940s. Speaking of stepping back, while at the Riviera make sure to step out back and see the old Streetcar Diner. The Streetcar Diner is a preservation project of the Illinois Route 66 Association. The Preservation Committee rescued it from destruction and are in the process of restoring it now.

The streetcar is over one hundred years old and yes it truly was a horse drawn streetcar at one time. In 1932 George Kaldem purchased it with the intention of converting it into a roadside diner and moved the streetcar to Gardner. This was a no-frills operation, simple and to the point. A small sign on the exterior identified it as a diner, and its reputation for good food soon brought in the customers. For a while it was even used as an unofficial bus stop for the Greyhound line. The diner closed in 1939 but its history was not complete yet. Over the years it became a summer cottage, a children’s playhouse and rental property for workers at the Joliet Arsenal in W.W. II. In 1955 Gordon Gunderson who had married the daughter of Jim Girot, original owner of the Riviera Restaurant purchased the streetcar, and the streetcar was moved once more to its present location behind the Riviera.

It was used as a place for family reunions, picnics, lodging for fisherman and eventually a storage shed. Over the years the diner fell into disrepair until John Weiss, the President of the Illinois Route 66 Preservation Committee discovered it. Restoration then began on this historic streetcar and diner from the early days of Route 66. The dinner is not quite complete yet, but knowing the Illinois crew it will be soon! Thanks guys for preserving a part of our past in Gardner.

Quote from: The Road Wanderer

Scale Model Riviera Roadhouse (1:100)

Fire destroys Riviera Restaurant

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

GARDNER — Much history went up in smoke Tuesday when flames leveled the Riviera Restaurant on Old Route 66, a reputed favorite hangout of Chicago mobster Al Capone. Authorities were not saying earlier today if arson was involved. However, investigators were checking the smoking embers this morning, and Gardner Fire Chief Randy Wilkey said the site is currently being treated as a crime scene. Oddly enough, the front wall of the restaurant, still bearing the name, Riviera, remained standing while flames gutted the rest of the building Tuesday night. The wall was still in place earlier today, noted passerby Jim Serena, who was the second on the scene when the Gardner Fire Department was dispatched at 7:04 p.m. Tuesday to the site.

Built in 1928, the Riviera was 50 percent engulfed in flames when Gardner firefighters arrived. The restaurant is four to five miles north of the village on the “Mother Road,” as Old Route 66 is known. “Because of the structure of the building and its layout, the fire spread pretty rapidly”, Wilkey said today. “We set up a defense attack, and saved what we could save”. The Riviera has been closed, and no one was in the restaurant, nor the living quarters at the back of the structure, at the time of the blaze. “It had been closed down, and had gone back to the original owners”, Wilkey said. “There was a leasee who was leasing the building, and he had backed out of his lease. The building was unoccupied. Both the residential and commercial sections of the building were unoccupied”.

The building’s history was known throughout the state, and had spread as far as Europe, Wilkey said, recalling the many Europeans who have regularly stopped at the Gardner Fire Station, local police department and other establishments through the years for directions to the site“. They were fascinated”, he said.
More than 23 area fire departments were at the scene Tuesday. Due to some miscommunication with a couple of police dispatch centers, some fire departments were delayed in their response.“Whether the dispatch centers were overwhelmed, I can’t answer that question”, Wilkey said. “All I know is, we had some area departments that should have been there that were not dispatched to be there”.

Article from:  Morris Daily Herald