
Multi-story classic car vending machine part of new Route 66 mixed-use development | Local News
The city has selected a developer to design and build a Route 66 mixed-use development on two acres of city-owned land at the intersection of Southwest Boulevard and Riverside Drive.
If that sounds vaguely familiar, it’s because the city has been here before. In 2015, then-Mayor Dewey Bartlett announced that the Route 66 Alliance would build a $19.5 million Route 66 interpretive center on the site.
The Route 66 Experience never got off the ground due to a lack of funding. And after flirting briefly with building the project near 11th Street and Lewis Avenue, the city last year went looking for new development proposals that could be constructed at the original site along the Arkansas River, across the street from Cyrus Avery Centennial Plaza.
Developer David Sharp was ready, and on Friday the city will formally announce that Sharp Development has been selected to do the project.
“All of the proposals were excellent, and so we had a lot of great ideas to choose from,” said City Attorney Jack Blair, who served on the selection committee while in his former role as the city’s chief operating officer. “But for the Sharp proposal, one, it is very eye-catching.”
People are also reading…
Nothing is more eye-catching about the proposed development than its multi-story classic car vending machine, which will stand in front of the hotel and interpretive center facing historic Route 66.
Visitors will be able to rent the classic cars to take them for a spin along historic Route 66.
The project is expected to open in mid-2026 to coincide with the Route 66 centennial.
Kimberly Honea, vice president of hospitality and development for Sharp Development, said the company focused on creating a sustainable project that would capture the hearts of travelers for generations to come.
“With this in mind, we feel our ‘Ride the Road’ experience is thinking outside the box,” Honea said. “We want our travelers to get their kicks on Route 66 (by) offering multiple classic car rentals in a neon lit glass tower.
“Not only will it be a destination site unlike any other, but it will also be visually remarkable.”
The exterior of the hotel and interpretive center will include neon and other classic Route 66 design elements, creating a large-scale illuminated facade.
Plans call for the second floor of the hotel and interpretive center to include 17,000 square feet of outdoor terrace and amphitheater space that will face the Arkansas River, along with restaurants and a glass-enclosed event center.
The first level will have themed retail, including bike rentals and other businesses.
The 40-room hotel is expected to be named Hotel Avery, after the “Father of Route 66,” Cyrus Avery. On the top three floors of the six-story building will be 55 apartments, including one-story, two-story and studio units.
“The exterior and interior thematic elements of the entire project allow us to showcase the Route 66 portion of our city and state on a whole new exciting level,” Honea said.
David Sharp has been building in Tulsa for decades. His work includes $4.5 million in projects along Route 66, and $15 million in buildings and land in the Riverview neighborhood where the Route 66 development will be constructed.
Blair said that experience — along with how the Selser Schaefer Architects-designed project took into account the needs and concerns of neighborhood residents — played a key role in the selection committee’s decision.
“We paid a lot of attention to scale because we want to make sure this development fits in well with the neighborhood,” he said. “We didn’t want to overwhelm the neighborhood, so that was an important consideration.”
Honea said the Riverview neighborhood is near and dear to the Sharp Development team and that it is committed to working with all neighborhood residents and businesses to ensure that the project is a positive addition for everyone.
“We live, work, have kiddos in the local school and are actively involved in the neighborhoods,” she said. “We will ensure our neighbors are heard in the process of this construction and after its opening.
“The overall architectural design focus was to ensure the neighborhood was not cannibalized by the site, but still visually attractive to Route 66.”
The selection committee included City Councilors Jeannie Cue — who also sits on the Route 66 Commission — and Kara Joy McKee, who represents the district in which the project will be built, as well as Dennis Whitaker with the Tulsa Planning Office and Casey Stowe with the Tulsa Authority for Economic Opportunity.
The other developers to respond to the city’s request for proposals (RFP) were Continental Overseas LLC, Ross Group Development and Hund Capital.
Proposals were scored on a 100-point system based on the following standards: Understands and represents the RFP’s goals (maximum 30 points); developer qualifications and experience (maximum 30 points); financial resources (maximum 30 points); and conforms to submission requirements (maximum 10 points).
McKee said she is looking forward to discussing the project with her constituents.
“Sharp’s creative ways to showcase Route 66 really rocked,” she said. “The other finalist (Hund Capital) was also excellent, and I want to see what they do next.
“Sharp’s familiarity with the area and experience also gave me confidence that they will definitely go above and beyond to collaborate with the Riverview neighborhood.
Blair said Sharp’s proposal is based on reasonable financial assumptions that gave committee members confidence the project will get done. The city is contributing $5 million toward the project, funds Blair said would not be released until the city is sure the project will be built.
“We wouldn’t commit public funds or the property without commitments on the other side,” he said.
Throwback Tulsa: Our favorite Tulsa landmark signs
El Rancho Grande

The sign is believed to be the original sign for the restaurant that first opened in downtown Tulsa in 1950. It was updated in 2009. The popular Mexican restaurant has been located along Route 66 at 1629 E. 11th St. since 1953.
Meadow Gold

Tulsa’s Meadow Gold sign stands at 11th Street and Lewis Avenue, where it stood from the 1930s until 2004, when it was moved into storage.
Meadow Gold

The Meadow Gold sign was restored and erected atop a brick structure in 2008. Funds came from Vision 2025 along with money raised by the Tulsa Foundation for Architecture and matching money from the U.S. Department of Interior National Park Service Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program.
Atlas Life

The sign on the Atlas Life building at Fourth Street and Boston Avenue has lit the Tulsa cityscape since 1946. The sign was blown down during a storm in 1998. It was restored by Claud Neon Federal Signs and rehung on Jan. 23, 2001. Atlas Life Insurance Co. was the original owner and occupant of the building, which now houses a Marriott Courtyard hotel.
Atlas Life

A detail of the Atlas Life sign illustrates Atlas holding the world, with Tulsa located on the globe.
Mayo

A crescent moon rises over the Mayo Hotel sign in downtown Tulsa. The landmark hotel was the tallest building in Oklahoma when it was built in 1925. It has featured an eye-catching rooftop sign since then. In the 1980s, the city banned rooftop signs, but the Mayo’s sign was “grandfathered” in. The ban was lifted in 2010 for businesses in the Blue Dome District.
Mayo Motor Inn

The Mayo Motor Inn was built in 1950 at 416 S. Cheyenne Ave. alongside the landmark Mayo Hotel.
Cain’s Ballroom

The sign atop the world-famous Cain’s Ballroom was “grandfathered” in when Tulsa officials banned such signs in the 1980s. The ban was lifted in 2010 for the Blue Dome District. Known as “the home of Bob Wills,” the Cain’s has been a popular Tulsa music venue since the 1930s.
Circle Cinema

The marquee of the Circle Cinema at 10 S. Lewis Ave. advertises an event in 2008. The Kendall-Whittier neighborhood movie house opened in 1928 as Tulsa’s first suburban theater. In the 1950s and ’60s, it showed popular monster movies and westerns. By the 1970s, it was showing X-rated movies. Local cinema enthusiasts launched a fund drive in 2002 to rebuild the dilapidated building and the theater reopened in 2004.
Brownie’s Hamburgers

The Brownies Hamburgers sign features a boy with a mug of root beer and a hamburger. The popular eatery near 21st Street and Harvard Avenue has been open for more than 60 years.
Tulsa World

The Tulsa World installed a new sign on the front of its 315 S. Boulder Ave. building to mark the newspaper’s 100th anniversary in 2005.
Nelson’s Buffeteria

The famous sign at Nelson’s Buffeteria advertises the popular restaurant at 514 S. Boston Ave. which closed in downtown in 2004.
Public Service Company of Oklahoma

The electrified Public Service Company of Oklahoma sign atop PSO’s Tulsa Power Station is on the west bank of the Arkansas River. The Tulsa landmark was erected in 1955, replacing the non-illuminated sign of 1923. It stands 40 feet tall and is 336 feet wide. Each letter weighs nearly 800 pounds. The sign includes 3,500 bulbs — 3,200 red and clear and 300 yellow ones.
Swinney Hardware

A fixture in the Kendall-Whittier neighborhood from 1934 until 2008, Swinney Hardware was a haven for hard-to-find items like floor furnace replacement parts, old-style varnishes and pumice stone polishing powder.
Jim’s Coney Island

Jim’s Coney Island-Never on Sunday Greek Restaurant started out in downtown Tulsa about 1950 but has been at 1923. S. Harvard Ave. for decades.
H.L. Moss Co.

H.L. Moss created a legacy repairing and selling parts for electric razors, coffee pots, lawn mowers and kitchen equipment. A coffee pot was featured on the sign in front of his store which operated at 15th Street and Utica Avenue from 1948 until 2003.
Desert Hills Motel

The Desert Hills Motel on Route 66.
Metro Diner

The Metro Diner served comfort food on 11th Street for 22 years. Plans to expand the University of Tulsa campus spelled the end of the popular diner in 2006. Owner Jim Rowenhorst is shown with the diner’s sign.
The Fur Shop

The Fur Shop sign at 520 E. Third St. Long before the building was a bar it was the Midland Valley Railroad Depot.
Weber’s Root Beer

Weber’s Root Beer at 3817 S. Peoria Ave. is a fixture in the Brookside neighborhood.
The Brook

The Brook restaurant sign at 3307 S. Peoria Ave. illuminates the Brookside business district. The marquee once advertised movies at the Brook Theater, built in 1949.
Bordens Cafeteria

Bordens Cafeteria at 5111 S. Peoria Ave. was one of seven the local chain operated in Tulsa. The last closed in 1989.
Denver Grill

The Denver Grill at 112 S. Denver Ave. featured a sign with shooting stars. The diner opened in 1933 but closed in 2004 to make way for the BOK Center.
Lee’s Bicycles

Lee’s Bicycles at 420 E. Second St. was the first business in the Blue Dome District to put up a rooftop neon sign in 2010 after the city council lifted a ban on such signs. Lee’s was started in Tulsa in 1914.
Yokozuna

Yokozuna at 309 E. Second St. erected a neon sign on its roof in 2010.
Lot-A-Burger

The Lot-A-Burger at 2807 Charles Page Blvd. opened in 1951.
Huey’s Shoes

Larry Huey opened Huey’s Shoes at the Mayo Meadow Shopping Center at 21st Street and Yale Avenue in 1956. A Walmart Neighborhood Market stands there today.
Arnie’s Bar

Arnie’s bar sign advertises cold beer in the Blue Dome District. The longtime watering hole and St. Patrick’s Day favorite moved downtown in 2000 after decades on 15th Street.
Woody Guthrie Center

Woody Guthrie Center
Trade Winds Motor Hotel

Swaying palm trees distinguish the sign of the Trade Winds Motor Hotel. At one time, Tulsa was home to three Trade Winds motor hotels. They were located at 51st Street and Peoria Avenue, 51st and Harvard and 3141 E. Skelly Drive. There were also two in Oklahoma City and one in Muskogee.
Phoenix Cleaners

For almost 70 years, the Phoenix Cleaners sign has hung at 125 E. 18th St.