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| Roadside |
Where
Art Thou, American Roadside? |
|  Aficionados
of roadside architecture have seen incredible losses of historic
material over the last two decades. Recently, the pace of
demolition has increased as the motels, drive-ins, diners,
and coffee shops go out of business and are abandoned. There
are many opportunities to save real pieces of Americana. If
you have a new idea for a creative rehabilitation, you can
help keep some of these buildings alive for tomorrow's communities.
Read below for updates on the American Roadside...
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| From
the National Trust for Historic Preservation:
Historic
Route 66 Motels, Ill. To Calif. listed on the 11 Most Endangered
Places for 2007-- Affectionately called “The
Mother Road,” Route 66 is known for quirky roadside attractions
and unique mom-and-pop motels, constructed between the late
1920 and late 1950s and often clad in neon. In recent years,
Route 66 motels in hot real-estate markets have been torn down
at record rates, while in cold real-estate markets, motels languish
and are being reclaimed by the forces of nature. |
Other
Roadside Sites for Your Interest:
Route
66 Motels This site is an ongoing volunteer project designed
to connect weary Route 66 travelers with the best mom-and-pop
motels the Mother Road has to offer.
National
Park Service Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program
Society
for Commercial Archaeology Established in 1977, the SCA
is the oldest national organization devoted to the buildings,
artifacts, structures, signs, and symbols of the 20th-century
commercial landscape. |
 Buy
Your Own Motel! The Boots Motel of Carthage, MO,
is for sale.
Built in the 1920s along Route 66, this roadside motel is now
used for weekly rentals but retains its original historic integrity.
There is a $50,000 grant available for preservation. See
more details here. |
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Giant
Roadside Oranges! RoadsideAmerica.com
lists at least three giant oranges along U.S. Highways, including
one in Redfield,
AR.
Here is another citrus site of interest contributed by member Alan
Hess: Mark's Hot Dogs, San Jose, CA, ca. 1940. This roadside
stand was recently saved and moved to another location nearby. See
photos and more details at the Preservation
Action Council of San Jose. |
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World's
Largest Catsup Bottle, Collinsville,
IL, Built in 1949 by the W.E. Caldwell Company for the G.S. Suppiger
catsup bottling plant A refreshing success story backed by a great
web site full of details, strategies for preservation, and interesting
stories. Photo
courtesy Mike Gassmann |
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Futuro
House, Hatteras Island, North Carolina, 1968 by Finnish
architect Matti Suuronen. Only 20 of these "ski cabins"
or vacation homes were built. Each could accommodate 8 people in
modern comfort. One is beached on Hatteras Island, N.C.; years ago
it was operating as an ice cream stand, now it is only occasionally
open; the owners sell retro "space age" items. Link: The
Futuro House Visit this comprehensive site with interior
and exterior photos of Futuro Houses in the desert, on the Thames
in London and in the air -- transported by helicoper! Plus blueprints
and scale models. Photograph courtesy member Sally Greene. |
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Links
to Related Sites:
American
Sign Museum The American Sign Museum was founded to inform
and educate the general public as well as business and special interest
groups of the history of the sign industry and its significant contribution
to commerce and the American landscape.
Drive-Ins.com
"The definitive source for Drive-In information." Database
search and clickable map to help you find local drive-in resources.
Doo
Wop Preservation League. The
DWPL educational mission is to foster awareness and appreciation
of the popular culture and imagery of the 1950's and 1960's and
to promote the preservation of the largest collection of Doo Wop
architecture found in the United States.
Googie
Architecture On-Line. An
excellent site defining and illustrating "Googie." Compiled
and managed by Chris Jepsen in a commendable quest to "build
a record of Space Age architecture that will last for generations
to come."
Roadside
America: Your online guide to offbeat tourist attractions.
Locate "Muffler Men," mermaids, Stonehenges, Vortexes,
Wigwam Motels and other roadside oddities in this comprehensive
site featuring 2000+ pages of information and photographs. Plan
your next vacation with the Electric Map highlighting features across
the U.S.
Roadside
Fans, run by Glenn Wells. Site runs a Yahoo Groups discussion
list and features on-line diner tours.
Roadside
Peek: Preservation Alley. A
very cool site listing endangered roadside, Googie, and coffee shop
architecture. Check it out! Don't forget to surf through the rest
of the site as well--very comprehensive.
Society
for Commercial Archaeology. Established in 1977, the SCA
is the oldest national organization devoted to the buildings, artifacts,
structures, signs, and symbols of the 20th-century commercial landscape.
On
the Road: Kentucky's Roadside Commercial Architecture, 1920-1960.
An Online Exhibit Sponsored by the Kentucky Heritage Council.
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76
Balls Saved -- See
video on YouTube from LAObserved.com |
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