Remnant Of The Route 66 To Be Torn Down And Its Sign Sold

One of the fading remnants of the Route 66 in Oklahoma will be torn down and its sign sold on eBay. <br/><br/>News on 6 reporter Rick Wells went to Vinita to take a last look at the old Lewis Motel, and

Tuesday, September 19th 2006, 9:51 am

By: News On 6

One of the fading remnants of the Route 66 in Oklahoma will be torn down and its sign sold on eBay.

News on 6 reporter Rick Wells went to Vinita to take a last look at the old Lewis Motel, and to find out who bought the sign and for how much.

The Lewis motel pretty typical of dozens built to handle tourists and travelers passing though Oklahoma on Route 66. "We've been neighbors for many many years." Dennis Patrick and his wife Melissa operate Clantons Cafe; the Mother Road's oldest family owned restaurant. From inside, you can look across the highway and see the old motel. "The thing that's great about it is the sign. We've had people come in asking how they could get ahold of the sign."

Jack Lee bought the motel property back in 2000. Tried to convert it to offices, but has now sold it to the O'Reilly Auto Parts folks as a site for a new store. They didn't want the sign. Jack Lee: "I talked to a friend of mine and he said, put it on eBay and sell it. You gotta be kidding, so we did, and it sold." Sold for $810 to a fella in California.

The new owner of the sign says he plans to put it on display at his place out in California. He told Jack Lee he plans to pick it up in the next couple of weeks.