Gardenway motel
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The George family apple orchard was near Highway 66 in Pacific, Missouri, predating the highway. Later, they opened George’s Apple Market at 3132 W. Osage St. to take advantage of the tourist traffic on the busy road. The apple orchard stopped operating in 1995 but the market building still stands today.
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Probably the most distinctive feature of the motel in later years was the huge GARDENWAY neon sign on the roof. That sign was added to the roof after I-44 opened and siphoned traffic off the old road out front. The apparent hope was that travelers on the freeway would see the sign and pull off. The top bar in the “E” is missing in this photo.
Another neon sign stands out front by the office. Glass blocks make up part of the lower section of this sign. The name is a take on the Henry Shaw Gardenway, a portion of Route 66 from St. Louis to the Shaw Nature Reserve in Gray Summit. The road got its name as a tribute to Henry Shaw who was instrumental in the development of the Botanical Gardens.