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Victory Court Site

4111 E. Kearney St., Springfield, MO
Phone:

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The early 1940s Victory Court with its eight deluxe units in duplex stone cottages was owned and operated by Mr.& Ms Otto Painter. The cottages were set two on each side of a grassy courtyard with the Painter's home at the north end of the "U" shaped drive around the courtyard. A selling point was the claim of "Pure Water from our own private well, 635 foot deep.

The Victory Court was across the road from the Bell Motor Court.
GPS: 37.238636, -93.208282

Businesses like this changed hands frequently, and this one was no different. . It became Ted's Motor Court in 1947 when Mr. and Mrs. Ted Finske became new owners. The Finske's built a new office in the courtyard, closer to the road. Like the Painter's the Finske's promoted the motor court as being "3 miles east of Springfield on U.S. 66" and continued using the pure water from a private well as a promotional feature. The 1949 postcard shown below lists Mr. and Mrs. R. G. Tuttle as owners and managers, they sold it the same year to a Mrs. Lipscomb. In 1952 Ted's Motor Court was listed as a AAA lodging.

In 1956 it became the Red Rooster Motel owned by Mr. and Mrs. Edwin J. Belknap. At some point they tore down the office and installed a swimming pool in that space. Between the pool and the road the had a large neon sign that featured a AAA logo. The court had also been expanded to ten units, but I'm not sure exactly when that happened. There was also a small play area on the east side of the drive, in front of the cottage nearest the road.

In 1960 Homer Carter bought the Motel with plans to operate it while establishing a new a real estate office there as well.

About a year later, in November 1961 Carter sold the motel to Carl Whisler from Crrookston, MN. By 1962 the place was advertising only weekly and monthly rates and no daily rates, but guests did get TVs and gas heat! Whisler apparently sold the motel within a few years.

In 1965 it was sold by H. J. McGranahan to E. M Graves for somewhere between $30,000.00 and 40,000.00. The Red Rooster Motel operated as apartments in 1966. By 1969 the place was advertising weekly sleeping rooms.

At least some of the cottages were still standing in the early 1990s. But there was just a dirt lot there when we went by in 2016.

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Vintage Advertising Highlights

TED'S MOTOR COURT
Offers the traveling public ultra modern accommodations. New deluxe cottages, fireproof, perfectly ventilated; insulated - cool in summer, warm in winter, knotty pine finish, innerspring mattresses, baths and showers.
3 Miles East of Springfield, Mo.
On U.S. 66 - R. D. # 2
Mr. and Mrs. R. G. Tuttle
Owners - Managers
AAA

NOTE: It wasn't uncommon for later owners to use the same basic desriptions on postcards and just change the owners name.
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Photo(s): 2016