Using the restoration of Roy’s in Amboy, Calif., to anchor the story, the New York Times’ real-estate section a few days ago reported there are signs of new interest in protecting and refurbishing old motels on Route 66.

The whole article is excellent, but this excerpt about the City of Albuquerque’s long, continuing fight to preserve El Vado Motel from a developer jumps out:

“If we can’t come to a resolution with the developer, we’ll condemn it and take it,” said Martin J. Chavez, the mayor of Albuquerque, who would like to see the El Vado and others like it turned into boutique motels catering to Route 66 tourists. “Route 66 is very much a state of mind,” he said. “It’s part of who we are. It would be like New York without the Statue of Liberty.” (my emphasis)

That ought to end any lingering questions about whether Chavez really wants to preserve the motel. That statement is unequivocal.

Historic preservation is one reason why I’m not willing to completely toss out eminent domain as a tool. Cities need a weapon like this to protect historic properties from indifferent developers.

(Hat tip: Duke City Fix.) 

Uh oh.

KRMG radio in Tulsa reported Wednesday morning that the 50-year-old time capsule that contains a 1957 Plymouth Belvedere had “several feet” of water around the car when the vault’s lid was opened during preliminary excavations.

The station reported that workers are removing out the water using sump pumps.

That is discouraging news regarding the Belvedere’s condition. However, the Tulsarama organizers in 1957 also enshrouded the vehicle with a waterproof wrap. Whether that wrap held up over the subsequent five decades probably won’t be publicly known until the vehicle is finally unveiled Friday night.

UPDATE: The Tulsa World reports there are “indications that the car has been submerged,” which means that the water in the vault has inundated the vehicle more than once.

UPDATE2: Here is a set of photos from mylesj, who was there Wednesday morning when the vault lid was removed. You can see that the car is still wrapped, but water marks on the inside of the vault show it’s probably been covered a number of times over those 50 years.

UPDATE3: Here’s a short video of when the vault lid was taken off and the water pumped out. The video is available in QuickTime or Windows Media.

Those who have waited years to see the unearthing of a 1957 Plymouth Belevdere from a time capsule began arriving in Tulsa, Okla., on Tuesday, reported the Tulsa World. The newspaper talked to visitors from California, Georgia and England.

Excavation of the burial vault that contained the Plymouth started Tuesday.

There was, frankly, not that much to see on Tuesday, but that was generally considered to be good. No sign of structural failure could be seen as the excavation crew dug down to the top of the vault and around its edges.

“The concrete looks good,” said Art Couch of W.N. Couch Construction.

A brief, unexplained rattling of the lid accompanied the breaking of the Gun-all seal around the top edge of the vault at midafternoon. Some thought this signaled an equalization of air pressure, while others speculated the lid had shifted. 

The actual removal of the car from the vault will be at noon Friday, with the public unveiling of the car at the Tulsa Convention Center at 7 p.m. Friday. Some expert car mechanics, including Boyd Coddington, will actually try to get the car running by the unveiling.

The unveiling event became a sellout two days ago. However, you can watch it live on local television station KOTV and over the Internet at KOTV.com and OklaTravelNet.com. And there undoubtedly will be extensive coverage by other media outlets that day.