Texas Ivy and Dora Meroney
and Historic 6th Street on Route 66 Association
Amarillo, Texas
A walk down the street from Cowboy Gelato brought us to a quaint ivy-covered 1920s building that is home to an eclectic antique shop, Texas Ivy. We met Dora Meroney, general manager of this family-owned store, and also the President of the Old Route 66 Association of Texas and Treasurer of the Historic 6th Street on Route 66 Association.
We learned that the associations were formed to keep Historic Route 66 alive by driving traffic to this one-mile long section of the Old Road--the first historic district in Amarillo. The heartbeat of Route 66 in Amarillo is between Western & Georgia Streets in the historic San Jacinto Heights neighborhood. This original stretch of Route 66, located just 2 miles north of I-40 (exits 67 or 68), is a bustling business district with over 100 mom-and-pop antique shops, specialty stores, restaurants and bars.
Dora commented, "We can keep travelers busy from breakfast to bedtime on Route 66 in Amarillo. Several restaurants serve up wonderful breakfasts after which you can shop until you're hungry again, take a break for lunch, and continue shopping until dinner. Many of the restaurants and bars offer live music for a relaxing evening on the Mother Road. The local and state Route 66 Associations work to keep Route 66 through Amarillo and across Texas a place where locals and tourists alike will stop, and Route 66 Associations in all eight States are working together towards sustainability for the future of the Mother Road."
The U.S. Route 66-Sixth Street Historic District, one of the city's first residential and business areas, is Amarillo’s first historic district and its charm from that era is retained today. The intact collection of commercial buildings possess significant associations with Route 66. Featuring elements of Spanish Revival, Art Deco, and Art Moderne design, these buildings represent the historic development phases of this early 20th century suburb and the evolving tastes and sensibilities of American culture. In 1994 the district was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
