Funds go for fixes on Route 66

Traffic has been heavy on Route 66 lately.

Two of seven grants recently awarded by the National Park Service Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program were for projects in Oklahoma and one with Oklahoma connections.

The competitive grant program provides assistance for eligible historic preservation, research and educational projects with ties to historic Route 66.

This year's grant awards went to:

• Threatt Filling Station Historic Structures Report, in Luther, $5,000 grant with a cost-share match of $5,000.

The grant will help pay for a history of the building, condition assessment and a preservation plan for restoration and creation of an interpretive center "that celebrates the history and contributions of the Threatt family, and African-American experiences in Oklahoma," according to the National Park Service.

Threatt Filling Station, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was built in 1915 on State Highway 7, which became U.S. 66, by Allen Threatt Sr. on land homesteaded by the family during the Oklahoma Land Run. The station later added a grocery and cafe known as "The Junior." The long-vacant property has been in the Threatt family for over 100 years.

"Travel could be difficult in the early days, and African-Americans had even more difficulty, as they were not always welcome at roadside businesses, including service stations. This station catered to those who might be turned away elsewhere," according to the park service.

To donate, go to www.gofundme.com/threatt-filling-station.

• Pemco Gas Station Rehabilitation, in Tulsa, $13,060 grant, with a cost-share match of $13,060.

"With its tilted facade and soaring butterfly canopy, the 1950s Pemco gas station located on Route 66 in Tulsa is a roadside gem," according to the park service. "After closing its doors as a gas station, it took on a variety of other uses including a car lot and architecture studio, ultimately becoming vacant for many years. Today, the station stands as an excellent example of relatively unaltered, mid­-century modern roadside architecture."

New owners plan repairs to the roof, exterior, walkways, pump canopy, and electrical system, to house a new Route 66 curio shop and event space. It will be part of "the up-and-coming Route 66 Meadow Gold District" in Tulsa, the park service said.

• Painted Desert Trading Post Stabilization, near Holbrook, Arizona, owned by Route 66 Co-op, which includes Arcadia authors Jim Ross and Shellee Graham. It received a $20,000 grant, with a cost-share match of $20,000.

This projected was reported fully Sept. 15 in The Oklahoman. The immediate goal is to save the building from collapse for "both preserving and commemorating the rich and storied history of trading post history along the Mother Road."

Other grant-receiving projects are:

• Route 66 Green Book Sites National Register Nominations, from Chicago to Santa Monica, California, which received a grant of $20,000 with a cost-share match of $20,000.

The National Park Service explained:

"To travel safely on Route 66 during the Jim Crow era, black motorists used the 'Green Book.' Published from 1937 to 1967, the 'Green Book' was a travel guide written by Victor H. Green, a black postal worker from Harlem, New York. The Green Book listed businesses that served black travelers including hotels, restaurants, garages and other sites.

"Today, these sites reveal the little-told stories of African American entrepreneurs and travel experiences. They are physical evidence of racial integration, and provide a rich opportunity to re-examine America's story of segregation, black migration, and the rise of the black leisure class.

"Grant funds will support a project to research and nominate eight Route 66 Green Book sites to the National Register. The research will be used for educational purposes including the development of a website that features the nominated sites. Listing on the National Register will also provide owners of those properties financial incentives for preservation."

• Risk Reduction Strategy for Historic Bridges on Route 66, from Chicago to Santa Monica, by the University of Texas at El Paso, $13,181 grant with a cost-share match of $21,028.

• Route 66 Gasconade River Bridge Study, Hazelgreen, Missouri, $6,000 grant with a cost-share match of $6,000.

• Ariston Cafe Neon Sign and Window Accent Restoration, Litchfield, Illinois, $10,250 grant with cost-share match of $10,250.

Honk if you love Route 66!