Boots Court - Route 66 - Carthage MO
by Susan Rissi Tregoning
Title
Boots Court - Route 66 - Carthage MO
Artist
Susan Rissi Tregoning
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Boots Court in Carthage, Missouri, is currently undergoing a complete restoration. In this image, the paint has been sandblasted off the building in preparation for repainting. They are hoping to have the work completed and be reopened by the midsummer of 2022.
Boots Court originally opened in 1939. Strategically located at the corner of US 71 ( Jefferson Highway) and US Route 66, otherwise known as the “Crossroads of America.” Arthur and Ida Boots built the Streamline Modern styled court. It had eight rooms, four with carports, and they advertised “a radio in every room.”
As with most Route 66 businesses, there was a service station in front at one time, but the station later became the office since the rooms were renting so well they didn’t need the hassle of pumping gas too.
The Boots sold the motel in 1942 to the Neelys, who added five additional rooms to the Boots Court in 1946.
The Court has since changed hands many times since then. It was almost demolished in the early 2000s when the owner, sighting poor health, sold it to a developer. It was rumored that the lot would be used for a Walgreens, but the Route 66 Association of Missouri, Friends of the Mother Road, and other preservations were successful in halting the demo.
Most recently, Boots Court changed hands again in the fall of 2021. Purchased by two couples from the Carthage area, they are responsible for the current, complete restoration. As one of the oldest motels on Route 66, they want to make Carthage and the Boots Court a tourist destination. Along with the restoration, an application to the National Register of Historic Places has been filed.
It is said that Clark Gable stayed at the Boots two different times, although there is proof of only one visit in which he stayed in room number 6.
Copyright 2022 Susan Rissi Tregoning
Uploaded
June 16th, 2022
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