Springfield businessman to open Route 66 Car Museum

Last edited 3:53 p.m., May 2, 2016

Classic car enthusiasts soon will have the opportunity to view one of the area’s largest private collections beginning June 15, the scheduled opening of Springfield businessman Guy Mace’s Route 66 Car Museum at 1634 W. College St.

Mace, the senior partner of Baron Venture Capital LLC who began collecting cars in the 1990s, has a 67-vehicle collection ranging from the truly classic – like his 1907 REO – to the Hollywood famous, such as a zombie protection truck from the “Resident Evil” film series.

Admission to the museum will be $15, with discounts for veterans and children, according to a news release from the Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau.

“I enjoy showing the cars,” Mace said in the release. “I think it’ll be a great boon to Route 66.”

Birth of Route 66
In a separate release, the CVB announced research by Missouri State University Dean of Library Services Thomas Peters solidified the city’s claim as the birthplace of the historic highway on April 30, 1926.

Among the historical records Peters analyzed from the Cyrus S. Avery Collection is a telegram sent on that date from the Colonial Hotel in Springfield to Washington, D.C., stating the highway number as “66.” The telegram is the first recorded reference to the highway number, according to the release.

“Thousands of tourists from around the world are infatuated with the lore of Route 66 and travel the route from Chicago to California,” CVB President and CEO Tracy Kimberlin said in the release. “All one has to do to see the importance of Route 66 as a tourist attraction is to spend a few minutes in our Route 66 information center.”

Although officially decommissioned in 1984, the highway’s mark on the Queen City is readily apparent; the city plays host to the annual Birthplace of Route 66 Festival in August. Last year, the festival had 23,000-24,000 attendees.

Also, the city of Springfield also is continuing development of a Route 66 roadside park with grant money - two $250,000 grants - from the Federal Highway Association, and the History Museum on the Square plans to display a permanent Route 66 sign this year.