Route 66: 2015 Cost-Share Grands Announced

The National Park Service, Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program is pleased to announce the recipients of this year’s cost-share grant awards.

The 2015 grant awards go to:

National Guard Armory Rehabilitation
Location: Sapulpa, Oklahoma
Applicant: City of Sapulpa
NPS Grant: $22,380, Cost-Share Match: $34,109

Built in 1948, Sapulpa’s historic National Guard Armory was home to Company H of the 279th Infantry. Sapulpa citizens remember lining Route 66 from one end of town to the other to watch and wave to the company’s convoy as they made their way to Fort Sill each year, and for their deployment and return from the Korean War. Situated a few hundred yards from Sapulpa’s historic Parker truss bridge over Rock Creek, the armory is currently vacant. With grant assistance, the armory will be rehabilitated to serve as a new Route 66 museum celebrating the automobile as well as the armory and military history on Route 66.

Women on the Mother Road: Route 66 Interactive Website and Oral History Project
Location: Across Route 66
Applicant: Cinefemme (Santa Monica, CA)
NPS Grant: $25,000, Cost-Share Match: $25,000

This project will focus on women’s experiences of Route 66, including African American, Hispanic, and American Indian women, incorporating the experiences of the diverse women who traveled, lived, and worked alongside the road. The evolution of the historical record to include women and multi ethnic and cultural voices makes what we know of the past and how we participate and engage with heritage sites a much richer experience. It also offers the opportunity to engage new audiences to travel, celebrate, and preserve the road. Later phases of this project may include a mobile app, a documentary film, a book, and a museum exhibit.

Boots Court Architectural Neon Restoration
Location: Carthage, Missouri
Applicant: Private Owner
NPS Grant: $20,000, Cost-Share Match: $20,565

Built in 1939, the Boots Court Motel is an outstanding example of a mom and pop motor court built in the Streamline Moderne style. Once threatened with demolition, new owners are working to restore the motel to a pristine, vintage lodging experience. Through a previous grant, a 1970s pitched roof was removed to restore the property to its historic appearance. Now eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, the current grant will restore the architectural neon that once adorned the building to operating condition, completing the restoration of the building exterior.

Lake Shore Motel Structural Rehabilitation
Location: Carthage, Missouri
Applicant: Private Owner
NPS Grant: $30,000, Cost-Share Match: $30,800

The historic Lake Shore Motel (d.b.a. Best Budget Inn) was built in the 1950s according to the prevailing plans for Best Western motels. With an outstanding view of Kellogg Lake, the two-story property still retains much of its historical appearance. The bathrooms feature the original pastel tile and chrome fixtures, and the grounds include the original outdoor swimming pool that was common for Best Western motels of the time. The property remains in good operating condition, however structural issues threaten its long-term viability. Grant funds will help correct problems with the foundation so that the motel can continue to provide a historic motel experience.

The cost-share grant program provides grant assistance for eligible historic preservation, research, oral history, interpretative, and educational projects. Grants are offered through an annual, competitive grant cycle. Since 2001, 122 projects have been awarded $1.8 million with $3 million in cost-share match, totaling $4.8 million in public-private investment toward the revitalization of the Route 66 corridor.

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