A public park located in Joplin, Missouri, named Route 66 Mural Park (completed in 2013), which acts as a stopover for tourists traveling along the historic US Route 66 as well as local Route 66 preservationists. Paul Whitehill proposed two large tile murals for the park, which were built by Images In Tile USA and conceptualized by Chris Auckerman and Jon White. The murals were made by Images In Tile USA and conceived by Chris Auckerman and Jon White.
At addition, a bifurcated red sports automobile is on display in the park, where pilgrims can pull up alongside it for a short photo opportunity. Located near 7th and Main, the mural is painted on the south wall of Pearl Brothers, a downtown Joplin hardware store known for its environmentally friendly products and practices. Previously, US Route 66 shifted west and entered Kansas around the same time as the current route.
During the 1960s and 1970s, urban renewal in Joplin’s downtown center resulted in the demolition of one historic building after another, despite the fact that the process had some positive outcomes. Planners squeezed a small park known as “Mall Park” in between some of the most iconic 7th street structures in 1970, according to the city’s website. The park connected a massive back-alley parking lot to the downtown core, redirecting traffic away from automobiles and toward walkers. It also made high-rise retail enterprises more accessible to individuals who parked away from the main drag and on side streets.
The park’s exquisite brickwork began to deteriorate over time, needing a refurbishment in order to breathe new life into the space that was formerly regularly used by the public.
Paul Whitehill approached the art department of Images in Tile USA with the idea of painting a Route 66 mural for the city of Joplin. Chris Auckerman and Jon White of the company’s art department agreed. After a great deal of thinking and effort, vision became art. Local sponsors banded together to assist them in the construction of the lower mural, which will serve as a unique photo opportunity for tourists and visitors, showcasing Joplin’s place on Route 66 in a unique way.
The Route 66 International Celebration, which took place in Joplin, Missouri, and Springfield, Missouri, this year, gathered 15,000 visitors from 25 states and 14 countries, making it the largest festival of its kind in the history of the United States. Apparently, this is the type of visitor that the city is attempting to draw to itself. As a result of the growing popularity, new photo opportunities, such as the mural park, have popped up all over the place.