A dedication ceremony took place for Route 66 Birthplace Plaza in downtown Springfield Thursday afternoon.
The plaza sits on land donated by Missouri State University, which was formerly on the grounds of the Colonial Hotel. Where Route 66 got its name in 1926.
Birthplace Plaza combines public art and history to create a space celebrating the city’s ties to the Mother Road. The dedication is part of a weekend of events kicking off the highway’s centennial.
Lt. Governor David Wasinger was in Springfield for the event. He praised the city for its kickoff of what he said he expects to be the greatest season of tourism in Missouri history. “We have the World Cup coming to Kansas City,” he explained. “We'll have global tourists from all over. We've got America 250 celebrations taking place, and guess where they're going to be coming to see Missouri? They're going to be coming to Springfield and coming down Route 66 from St. Louis, all the way down to Joplin.”
The state’s Route 66 Commission spent $3.5 million on tourism related events, wayfinding signs and tour stop construction for the Route 66 Centennial.
As cities along Route 66 get ready for a season of events and tourism, attention has also turned to infrastructure. Sean McMaster, head of the Federal Highway Administration, also spoke at the Birthplace Plaza dedication.
“We are proud and excited and honored to partner with Missouri to keep the Mother Road strong for the next century,” McMaster said. “On average, more than 39,000 daily trips are taken along the original Route 66 corridor, which stretches over 2400 miles from Illinois to California.”
McMaster praised $272 million in federal investment in Missouri D.O.T. projects along historic Route 66 and promoted public private partnerships and Trump administration highway initiatives focused on congestion.
Gov. Kehoe, a former highways commissioner, was also in Springfield, celebrating Route 66 and promoting projects to improve I-70 and 44.
“Major expansion here on Interstate 44 in the Springfield area. Obviously, we have highway 70 being rebuilt in the center of our state from St. Louis to Kansas City,” Kehoe explained, adding “We started the interstate system in 1956 in St. Charles, Missouri. So, we've always looked at transportation from Missouri."
And, among everything else going on for Route 66 in Springfield, we also have a time capsule coming to Jubilee Park. The History Museum on the Square Executive Director Sean FitzGibbons unveiled it during the dedication. It is mostly filled with items selected by local students.
“The everyday details, the personal reflections, the creativity of our students and the hopes we have for the future are what truly define who we are,” FitzGibbons explained. “This time capsule is our message forward. A snapshot of Springfield in 2026.” He thanked Springfield Public Schools for making it possible.
The time capsule will also include a record and artifacts of the weekend’s centennial events. It will be buried next week.
Birthplace Plaza is open now at the corner of Jefferson and St. Louis in Downtown Springfield. To learn more, we spoke with one of the Rotary Club organizers behind the plaza ahead of its dedication. Listen to that story above or find our reporting on that conversation at this link.
After a big Thursday kickoff to the Centennial, a choir from Pipkin Middle School set the stage for the unveiling of Springfield’s latest Route 66 landmark Friday morning on the other end of St. Louis.
The Queen’s Gate, is a crown inspired nearly two-story tall sculpture in the middle of St. Louis Street, just west of the Glenstone intersection.
Local leaders, representatives of the Federal Highway Administration and owner of the Rail Haven motel Gordon Elliott spoke.
President and CEO of Visit Springfield, Mark Hecquet described the vision of the project. He said the city and its partners wanted a landmark at what he called an important entrance to the city.
“We established five key criteria,” he said. “It had to be number one, truly iconic. Secondly, it had to symbolize Springfield. Thirdly, it had to recognize we are the birthplace. Fourthly, it had to glow at night. And I welcome you to come back at night and watch how this glows. And lastly, and perhaps most importantly, it had to be truly Instagrammable. And as I'm standing here today, I truly believe we hit every single one of those marks.”
A city statement on the project says it received $1 million for the Queen’s Gate from the state, they thanked Sen. Lincoln Hough for securing that funding.
And, musical rumble strips along St. Louis Street were also unveiled at the event Friday. Going west from the Queen’s Gate, driving over the rumble strips at 30 mph plays the tune to “America the Beautiful.”
The unveiling was one among many events planned for the Route 66 Centennial in Springfield this weekend. Find more at route66kickoff.com