When it comes to intrigue, romance, and legend whether real or
imagined, CORAL COURTS along
famed ROUTE 66 is the unrivaled Missouri pacesetter. First opened
in 1942 by John H. Carr, this motor court is regarded as one of the
finest examples of ART DECO motel design found anywhere. With it’s
curved polished block walls and block glass accents the Coral
Courts soon became a favorite rest stop for ROUTE 66 travelers. One
interesting feature of these duplex units is that garages were
incorporated in the design. Of course these garages, together with
a privacy minded staff, provided guests with a high degree of
anonymity fueling rumors of romantic interludes. It also provided
patrons running afoul of the law with a convenient hideaway. In
1953 one such case received national attention. Carl Austin Hall
kidnapped Bobby Greenlease, the child of wealthy Kansas City
businessman Robert Greenlease. Hall spent two nights at the Coral
Courts before being captured thanks in part to tips form a cab
driver and a prostitute. Half of the $600,000 ransom that was paid
for the child‘s safe return was never recovered giving rise to the
rumor that Hall had stashed the money in the hollow block wall of
his motel cottage. Hall, who was executed for the murder of Bobby
Greenlease, went to his grave with the mystery of the missing money
unsolved.
In 1975, an often repeated fate for businesses along the Mother
Road befell the Coral Courts as that was the year that Interstate
44 opened bypassing Watson Road/ Route 66. Though in decline, this
legendary motor court fought the good fight and continued to
operate until being permanently closed in 1993. During these
twilight years the Coral Courts Preservation Society was founded
and in 1989 the NO TELL MOTEL was added to the National Register of
Historic Places. The property was eventually sold to a residential
home developer in 1995. That same year volunteers and employees
from the Museum Of Transportation dismantled one of the units. In
2000 a partially reconstructed Coral Courts cottage went on display
at the museum.
For more information, visit CORAL
COURTS.
For directions and operating hours of the museum, visit
MUSUEM OF
TRANSPORTATION. An admission charge applies.
To view Coral Courts memorabilia, visit the museum at
RT66:MO-Route 66 State Park.
This cache is located at the east end of the original Coral
Courts property. Parking is located at the abutting business. There
is no need to enter private property. You won't need a hint to find
this one.
NOW FOR THE FUN PART
EXTRA CREDIT
There is no cache at Waypoint Two.
From the cache site, project a waypoint 505 feet at
a bearing of 224 degrees. As you follow your GPSr along America's
Road notice the original stone columns supporting the property
fencing. What did you find at the projected distance? Don't post
your answer but email us your discovery if you wish.
Legend suggests that the rooms of this famed ROUTE
66 WAYPOINT were rented BY THE
HOUR. History tells us they were rented 'short term' as
a courtesy to weary travelers. Now that you have walked the
MOTHER ROAD where this ICON once stood, which version suits
your CORAL COURTS fantasy?
Congratulations to Didg Guy for FTF
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NOTICE: For additional details
on the Route 66 project (plans, thoughts, template, etc) or
to participate and create Route 66 caches along the "Mother
Road" in your area, visit our site at
www.route66geocaching.org. (visit
link).
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