Historic Hotel - now it's official

[jrimington]

This Springfield, Missouri hotel, now known as the Best Western Route 66 Rail Haven, has been in operation almost since the inception of Route 66. In fact it was in Springfield in 1926 that a pivotal meeting was held with Cyrus Avery, an oilman from Tulsa, Oklahoma and Chairman of the Oklahoma Department of Highways, and B.M. Piepmeier, Chief Engineer of the Missouri State Highway Commission among others, regarding the naming of a new east-west highway which was to run from Chicago, Illinois to Los Angeles, California. After much discussion and input, as well as objections to the first road numbering from various States, it was decided that the designation of the road would be Route 66. It was nearly named Route 62! Had it been so named the now famous song, "Get your kicks on Route 66" would not have been written and perhaps the nostalgia for the Mother Road across America would not be so strong, almost magical. Indeed there is a lot of Route 66 history relating to Springfield, MO.

The Best Western Route 66 Rail Haven personifies the the history, in fact it is now listed on the National List of Historic Places. It all started with being in the right location at the right time. A homestead on the northeast edge of town naturally evolved into an overnight place to stay for weary travelers. It grew over the years to include self-contained cottages complete with kitchenettes and garages for newly motorized guests and then known as the Rail Haven Motor Court.

It was not too many years later in 1946 the property grew to 28 cottages with showers, gas heat and laundry facilities. Other amenities were established such as a children’s playground, a wading pool and even baby sitters. By this time the AAA considered the hotel “excellent.”
A famous travel writer/publisher of the time, Duncan Hines rated highly and often in his “Directory of Accommodations for Discriminating Guests.” This was a magnificent marketing recommendation because Hines accepted no fees for listings and recommended purely on merit that in turn was based upon his personal experience. He property continued to undergo growth and improvements with the addition of sixteen more units and air conditioning.

By the early 1990s the once grand hotel came on the market and was bought by renowned entrepreneur, Gordon Elliott. Much work and money has been has been invested in the property in the last twenty five years to keep the property up to the high standards required by Best Western of its member hotels without losing the magic touch of nostalgia that celebrates over sixty years of the history of Route 66.
More information may be found at: http://www.bwrailhaven.com and at: http://www.elliottlodginghotels.com/historic.html

[route66world]

Good find!

Thanks for posting this!