Historic Manor Motel in Joliet Making a Comeback

From the March 21st Channahan-Minooka Patch.

Well, actually, the motel is in Channahan. It is located on historic US-6 and an alignment of Route 66 and has been providing lodging for travelers on both roads, and I-55, since 1954.

The current owner, Prakush Silveri has been in the process of updating all 77 rooms since he bought the place in 1998 and so far 52 have been completed. Rooms go for $50 to $60 a night.

The colonial architecture of the place is striking and would fit right in at Mount Vernon.


HISTORY

It was begun in 1947 by Walt Anderson, a masonry contractor, who built a unit and added others until he opened for business in 1954. He ran the place until the 1970s when Jeff Kowalski bought it and it began to decline.

Even before the motel opened, Anderson had a restaurant, coffee shop, cocktail lounge and dining room in 1953. It still stands today across US-6 as the Ivo Express Bar & Grill. In 1954, a gas station was added to the holdings along with a liquor store.

We stayed there back around 2005 and were impressed with what Mr. Silveri had accomplished. He is also proud of the place's Route 66 heritage and spent quite a bit of time showing us a scrapbook with pictures of the place through the years.

Glad to See Another Historic Motel Being Saved. --RoadDog