Cheyenne’s Twin Chimneys motor court stood for almost 90 years; this week its landmark chimneys fell in about 30 seconds to make way for a drive-thru coffee shop
The Twin Chimneys Motor Court in Cheyenne, Wyoming, which once gave travellers a place to stay along the historic Lincoln Highway, has been demolished to make way for a 7 Brew Coffee drive-thru stand. Its distinctive twin stone chimneys, the last parts of the old motel to be removed, came down in about 30 seconds earlier this week.According to Cowboy State Daily, the motel at 2405 East Lincolnway had been known for its twin chimneys, red exterior, green roof and knotty pine interior. The motor court had provided lodging for travellers for decades, while also giving them a covered place to keep their cars next to their rooms.The demolition has drawn attention from many because the property was one of several old motor courts associated with travel along US Highway 30. Megan Stanfill, executive director of the Alliance for Historic Wyoming, said she was disappointed that the building was gone before there was a chance to consider ways of preserving it.“I always hate seeing old buildings torn down before there’s a chance to save them,” Stanfill told Cowboy State Daily. “Instead of preserving it as a motel, maybe the chimneys could have been preserved as a landmark.”Stanfill said discussions about giving old buildings a new use often happen only when it is already too late. She said she first noticed Twin Chimneys while driving past it and thought, “What a cool building.” A few months later, she saw that a fence had been put around the property.
Why Twin Chimneys stood out
Stanfill began researching the history of the motel after noticing it. She said the rooms were original and dated to the time when the motor court was built in the 1930s, while the reception area was renovated during the mid-century era.Stanfill believes the twin chimneys may have been designed to help the motel stand out to passing travellers. In the 1930s, motor courts were competing for travellers’ money and needed ways to make their properties easy to recognise.“Back in the 1930s, these places were competing for travelers’ money, so they were trying to figure out the best way to appeal to them and make it easier for them to remember,” Stanfill said. “People didn’t have Google to figure out which motel to go to. They’d just hear about the Twin Chimneys a few states away.”The Lincoln Highway was a private transcontinental road whose construction began in 1913. Travellers using the road were not necessarily staying in traditional hotels. Instead, motor courts developed by offering both accommodation and a place to park a car.“They were camping out in their car,” Stanfill said. “People started offering lodging, a place for you to park your car where it was covered right next to your room.”
Visitors used to take home matchbook covers and postcards from the property
Motor courts and the Lincoln Highway
Stanfill said several examples of motor courts like Twin Chimneys still remain across Wyoming. They include the Sands Hotel in Cheyenne and other examples in Evanston and Fort Bridger.She has also stayed at renovated motor courts along the Lincoln Highway, including the Lincoln Highway Motor Court in Pennsylvania. According to Stanfill, its new owners are restoring the property and trying to create a place where travellers can experience the Lincoln Highway.She said there is growing interest in such properties across the country. She pointed to the popularity of Route 66, which is celebrating its centennial, as an example of interest in historic road travel.“It’s a bit of a revival, and people are looking for places like that,” she said. “I really hope we start seeing a lot more movement along those lines for the Lincoln Highway.”For Twin Chimneys, however, that opportunity has passed. The property owner had gone through the required city process for demolition, and Stanfill said there was no way for her organisation to stop it.
‘Look at the pictures’
While she was sad to see the entire property disappear, Stanfill said property owners ultimately have to decide what is best for their land.She added, “We can’t stop demolition like this; it’s already gone through the proper channels with the city. There’s nothing we can do at this point but look at the pictures we do have.”Stanfill said she would have liked to conduct a survey of the building and document it. Such records, she said, could have been useful when dealing with similar old buildings that are in poor condition.The demolition was carried out by Chuck Harter of McCarty & Sons, a Denver construction company. The twin chimneys were saved until the end of the demolition. Harter said the East Lincolnway lot would be cleared of all traces of Twin Chimneys in about three days.The new business planned for the site is a 7 Brew Coffee stand. The company already has a shop on Dell Range Boulevard in Cheyenne.Although the motel is gone, some reminders of Twin Chimneys remain in private collections. Stanfill said visitors used to take home matchbook covers and postcards from the property.“When people would visit they’d grab matchbook covers and postcards,” Stanfill said. “They had no idea there’d be something called eBay, with people selling this stuff for a pretty penny.”
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