Route 66

Texola and Quapaw | Spring 2024

As the semester came to a close, students worked on preliminary design concepts and recommendations to help advance community projects forward as they prepare for opportunities to bring their projects into fruition. This deliverable highlight student-level recommendations and design concepts for the gateways based on a site visit to Texola this past spring and feedback provided by the Route 66 Association during a kick-off meeting in the fall of 2023.The following design concepts aim to create defining and memorable moments for travelers as they enter and depart the state along the longest stretch (400 mi) of Route 66 in the country. These concepts incorporate placemaking, technology, culture, and interactive components, encouraging travelers to stop in connected towns along their way. By blending these elements, and considering each site’s environmental context, the gateway designs compliment each other to create “book ends” for the state while offering visitors a unique, interactive opportunity to reflect and celebrate Oklahoma’s Route 66 connection and cultural identity. As a result, each design encourages the Route 66 Association to further explore how to approach creating vibrant, entry and exit points that enhance sense of place and stand as a symbol of pride for the state of Oklahoma.

Retreat Contributors

Kelly Burns, Oklahoma Humanities
Kelly Tompkins, Neato Design Co.
Lenae Clements, Oklahoma Department of Transportation
Linnea Harvey, Rural Renewal Initiative
Lynda Ozan, Oklahoma State Historic Preservation Office
Stacy Tomas, Oklahoma State University