Photo byFacebook/Saving the Shamrock Court.

The Shamrock Court located at 1246 South Service Road in Sullivan, Missouri was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 28, 2022. This surely made the new owners and hopefully the community happy. If any motel can be saved along the once-swinging Route 66, that's a good thing.

Most of Sullivan is located in Franklin County, but the location of Shamrock Court is in northern Crawford County. At the time the motel was nominated for the National Register, it was vacant. The architectural style is Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements and Fieldstone Vernacular architecture. The foundation is concrete blocks and the walls are stone.

The historic significance of this motel is associated with commerce, architecture, and transportation.

The Shamrock Court

The Shamrock Court is located on the west side of Sullivan. Its function used to be a motel. It was close to what was Route 66, but that changed when Interstate 44 was constructed. The old Route 66 is now the South Service Road.

In 1948, a one-story U-shaped motel building was built for Freeman and Irene Dodds by Marion Berti who was referred to as "Grandpa." The Dodds operated the motel in the beginning for a few years.

Freeman Dodds was born in 1885 in Illinois. He was an electrical contractor in St. Louis County before relocating to Sullivan to open the Shamrock Court Motel. In 1953, the Dodds sold the motel to John and Rose Weiland from Chicago. The Weilands raised their three sons at the motel.

The Weilands also had jobs in addition to running the motel. When the Federal Highway Aid Act in 1956 was passed, it became apparent what would happen to Route 66 in the name of progress. By 1974, the new Interstate 44 replaced Route 66 in Missouri. It was more convenient to reach the motel from Route 66 and more easily seen by travelers.

Photo byFacebook/Save our Route 66 bridges.

The motel was in the Weiland family for more than 60 years, and it was vacant for close to 10 years. During the 1970s, units were converted into efficiency apartments and operated as such until 2009 when John Weiland died.

In 2021, the property was purchased by Roamin Rich Dinkela and his wife, Christina. Work still needed to be performed on the building when it was nominated for the National Register. The stonework, however, was in great shape. According to the Shamrock Court website, plumbing has been updated.

The goal is to have the motel restored so it can operate for Route 66 traveling fans again in 2024. If you would like to donate toward the continuing restoration, visit here (100% of donations go toward the restoration).

Thanks for reading.