Ariston Cafe - Litchfield, IL - Route 66
by Susan Rissi Tregoning
Title
Ariston Cafe - Litchfield, IL - Route 66
Artist
Susan Rissi Tregoning
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
The Ariston Café is most likely the oldest continually operated restaurant on Route 66, and it is one of only a handful of restaurants associated with Route 66 in Illinois that remains in operation along the original roadbed.
Greek immigrant Pete Adam first opened the Ariston Café in 1924 in Carlinville on Illinois Route 4, which became the original Route 66 in 1926. In 1930, when Route 66 was realigned, bypassing Carlinville, the Ariston followed the Mother Road relocating to Litchfield on the new alignment.
In 1935, the Café moved across the street to a newly constructed building that cost Adam $3625.36. This utilitarian commercial building lacks allusions to a particular architectural style, with its most distinguishing exterior feature being a curved parapet wall on the facade.
On the interior, the booths reflect the influence of the Art Deco style popular in the 1930s. When you visit, take notice of the Art Deco wall cabinet, chrome stools, and original light fixtures in the booths. The interior is remarkably unaltered and provides a strong sense of time and place. With the formal white tablecloths, it feels like you have stepped back into 1930 when you enter the Cafe!
Adam placed two gas pumps out in front of the new building, a typical practice back in the day, to draw in more traffic to the restaurant. While the pumps no longer remain, the Ariston is still going strong in this location.
In 1938, you could get a porterhouse steak for just 85 cents, while bacon and eggs or a BLT was a quarter! That’s hard to comprehend in this day and age.
Pete passed away in 1966, and his son Nick and Nick’s wife took over the restaurant. The Ariston Café and Adam family were inducted into the Route 66 Hall of Fame in 1992. In addition, the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006 as a significant piece of commercial architecture along Route 66.
The Adam family sold the business in 2018 to Litchfield residents and partners Will and Michele Law, and Marty and Kara Steffens. However, they continued to offer the traditional service expected from the Ariston Café.
Copyright 2022 Susan Rissi Tregoning
Uploaded
August 4th, 2022
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