Winslow’s 66 Motor Palace
The 66 Motor Palace is one of the most visible buildings in the historic Route 66 district, sitting diagonally from Winslow’s famous corner and the large Route 66 road emblem in the middle of 2nd and Kinsley Ave. While closed to the public during the preservation process, the plan is to open a curated exhibit of classic motorcycles, automobiles, and transportation-related art and artifacts.
The History
The twenty-five-foot wide, eighty-foot-deep brick building is one of the oldest remaining buildings in Winslow’s Commercial Historic District, dating somewhere between 1892 and 1901. The pedestrian-oriented structure contributes to the overall historic character of Winslow’s commercial historic district because it has no setback from the sidewalk–one of the most important physical characteristics distinguishing historic buildings from later commercial development. The building is seen here in a 1910 photo of downtown.
Billy Burke’s Saloon
The building is most associated in the early days as Billy Burke’s Saloon, seen here with its original tin ceilings in this 1903 photograph.
Otey’s Place
During the heyday of Route 66, the building was a pool hall with snooker tables and pinball machines, called Otey’s Place.
Owner Ray Otey was part of a cowboy orchestra. He also owned Prairie Moon in Winslow. In 1936, he expanded into the building next door to include a dance floor with live orchestra–which explains the hole knocked into the wall on the north side of our building. (The building next door fell in the 2000s, as you’ll read in a bit).
Art’s Pool Hall
Most long-time locals know our building as Art’s Pool Hall. It’s unknown when it closed, but in the 1990s, the city bought the building from owner Larry Benham with plans to demolish it for a parking lot. According to city council reports in the Winslow Mail newspaper, resident Marie LaMar fought to save the building in hopes of preserving Winslow’s historic past. The council agreed.
Rehabilitation
In 1999, Jennifer Lee, a California resident, petitioned the city to buy the building after filming a documentary on the La Posada Hotel’s architect Mary Colter. Her plan was to create a live-work space including a sound stage and gallery.
While Lee did much demolition of the original interior and reinstated the front windows, the plans for her adaptive reuse project stalled when her husband’s California-based business grew, and in 2010, the current owners bought the building and continued the preservation.
A Labor of Love
Much has been done to preserve the building under current ownership. The facade was painted to bring out the details in the brickwork.
They also own the adjacent lot, where you will usually see Lori’s ’48 Ford parked. In 2008, the building that stood there, Jenny’s Tavern, collapsed after sometime being unoccupied. The city demolished the front portion that remained standing, and left the back part.
The Expansion Hole
Where this north wall rollup door and window are now, was a pass through into the bar. Rumor is the brick pool hall did not have a liquor license, but the bar did, so rough holes were made to move the liquor through. There’s also the theory explored earlier, that when Otey expanded into the building next door to include a dance floor, this hole was created to connect the two. When Brian and Lori bought the building, these were just two big holes in the wall, but now, have a glass roll up door and glass block. If you look closely, you may see two black cats and a Tuxedo cat hanging out: Alfonzo (fluffy), Almonzo (short hair), Charlonzo (tuxedo).
The “carriage house” (what remained of the front building) got a new facade with custom doors made by John Suttman, the artist behind the gorgeous gates and lanterns at the famed La Posada Hotel.
Inside, they cleared away years of construction debris, tuck pointed the bricks, and began reinstating electricity and plumbing.
The Final Touches
The owners are now in the final stages of finishing this historic property, including the electrical, insulation, and reinstating the tin ceiling.
Hey guys! Sorry to hear about your site. Have you looked at the wayback site? looks like you can get some screen shots or copy from there. http://web.archive.org/web/*/66motorpalace.com
Hope to see you in Winslow soon.
Jay
Hi Jay, this works, thanks for the tip! All I have to do is re-insert the pictures. You Da Man Bra. (Did I say that right?)
Hi Allan and Lonna, thanks for checking in, as you probably figured out we aren’t currently maintaining the site. We’re both in school. Lori has about three weeks of coursework left and loves the work she is doing at La Posada. Give us a call when you’re coming back to Winslow.
Brian (949)279-6903
Lori (714)746-0467