Route 66 in the News
The Walls Came Tumbling Down
2007-09-10 17:44:38
ORO GRANDE, Calif. - To preserve or to destroy, that is the dilemma of property owners all over the country as they stare down the costs of renovation.
Larry Judkins went with the latter option, tearing down a group of stone cottages along the old Route 66 that had become a haven for squatters and vagrants.
On Monday, the backhoe buckets pawed at the old walls, leaving piles of wood and stone behind.
“The only option I had was to tear them down, in my mind, because what are you going to do, a tourist spectacle? It’s not safe,” said Judkins, broker and owner of Extreme Team Real Estate and Property Management.
Electricians and plumbers had told him the structure was no longer safe for public use, he said.
But for Route 66 enthusiasts, the demolition is a tragedy.
The buildings used to be Potapov’s Service Station and Auto Court, bought by Bill Potapov in 1943 — a motel before they were called motels.
In more recent years, newlyweds have been posing in front of it in their wedding clothes for an authentic effect.
When word reached the board meeting of the Route 66 Museum, a shout went out over curator Betty Halbe’s cell phone.
“Son of a gun!” director Jim Conkle was heard to say.
Chick Kirk, museum president, echoed Conkle’s cry, if in a different way.
“Well, that’s too bad, another place is gone,” she said. “It breaks our heart, but there’s nothing we can do about it.”
If a building is not listed on the National Register of Historic Places, there is not protection for it, Halbe said.
“It’s a long, drawn-out process, and it has to be approved,” she said.
Judkins bought the property in 2004, hoping to clean the area up and build a house on it eventually — maybe even sell produce there.
He finally decided to go ahead with the demolition after the county told him he had to do something about the code violations one way or the other.
“Most of the people were just dumping stuff,” he said. “I don’t know how many paint cans I’ve discarded.”
Charles Eames, the contractor who tore down the buildings, said the job was bittersweet.
“It’s kind of a bummer,” he said. “They have been here a long time.”
~Tatiana Prophet, Victorville Daily Press
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