Iconic structure has seen several changes
VINITA, OKLA. – If you are driving in Oklahoma the quickest way to get someplace most times, is to use the toll roads, best known as the Turnpike. If you are traveling I-44 from the Missouri state line into Oklahoma, you will recognize and have probably made a few stops at the Vinita Travel Plaza.
The younger generation are probably most familiar with this stop being the McDonalds and Subway, a place to get gas and maybe a few snacks and the always popular restroom break. To the older generation and many locals to the Vinita area, it is fondly remembered as the Glass House Restaurant.
The Oklahoma State Library has a great Glass House Oral History Project on their website that features interviews with Vinita residents and former employees of the Glass House Restaurant, and they share their memories of the iconic building. You can listen to the collection at:
Built in 1957 when the Turnpike first opened, it was the first restaurant built over a U.S public highway. Conoco (Continental Oil Company) commissioned the building with a goal to serve the needs of motorists passing in both directions without having to exit the turnpike.
The Glass House Restaurant was officially opened and dedicated in 1958 and was one of the flagship locations in the larger chain of Glass House Restaurants. The building included a cafeteria, snack bar, and sit-down restaurant. On each side of the building, motorists enjoyed a full-service gas station operated by Conoco.
The cafeteria-style restaurant, known as the Express Buffet, offered coffee shop comfort food and sumptuous desserts. The sit-down restaurant known as the Broiler Room was very popular and hosted events and proms.
An interesting feature to the architecture was the huge power louvers on the south side of the structure that could be closed to keep out the scorching Oklahoma sun.
When the Glass House chain quit the business, the restaurant part of the site was taken over by Howard Johnson’s. Once a large chain of eateries that spanned the U.S. and was known for its 28 flavors of ice cream, “Ho-Jo” was the coffee shop eatery of its day! While the hotel portion of Howard Johnsons survived, the restaurant segment slowly faded from the public eye.
There was a short time when the world’s first bridge restaurant sat empty but eventually another American icon moved in. When McDonalds took up occupancy in the old building, they became the world’s largest in the 29,135 square foot building. The signature golden arches measured 52 feet at their peak over the turnpike. It quickly earned the reputation as a destination for travel stops and the large glass windows with the traffic passing beneath made the perfect place for photo opps.
In 2013 the entire archway and surrounding area was renovated to improve traffic flow and parking and to make both sides safer for motorists and pedestrians. It was re-opened in late 2014 and renamed the Will Rogers Archway to honor one of Oklahoma’s most famous sons, the timeless cowboy and Western entertainer. There is a gift shop and section where travelers can learn about Will Rogers and his legacy.
My Moseley side of the family grew up in Vinita and lived a few miles away from the Glass House restaurant when it was being built and dedicated. I thought it would be fun to ask a few of them what they remembered. Me being born in 1971, I vaguely remember the Glass House but I remember always trying to get my mom to stop there when we were traveling from Miami to Tulsa. When my kids were growing up it was already a McDonalds, so it was one of the favorite stops for them.
My Aunt Ramona remembers they were building the turnpike when she was in high school, but she doesn’t remember driving on it until much later. She remembers her dad, BC (my grandpa Moseley), thinking it was a terrible thing to be charged to drive on the highway. They always used “old” Route 66 to drive to Tulsa and took all the back roads when they went to Joplin, Mo.
My Uncle Pete was in the Vinita High School band, and they played at the dedication ceremony where the Governor came to speak. That must have been a big deal in such a small country town to have the Governor visit.
“We had never seen escalators before or rode them, so that was a favorite pastime.” My Uncle Pete remembers.
Paying to use the highway was a new concept at the time and the turnpike certainly had a detrimental effect on many small towns along Route 66 that depended on traffic flow to keep their business thriving. Thankfully today, there are many restoration efforts along Route 66 and many road travelers are happy to take the long way around and remember a time when life was much slower.
