This post card image from Joe Sonderman's Rt. 66 collection shows the Hotel Cuba at its peak. This entrance faced the train depot.
Last night a mattress fire in one of the apartments threatened the historic Hotel Cuba building along Route 66 in Cuba, Missouri. Fire trucks with flashing lights and screaming sirens pierced the night as they rushed to the old hotel building, which is now used for apartments. While units were evacuated, the fire seemed to be contained without major damage. The next few days will bring out the details of the fire and damage. Watch next week’s Cuba Free Press for details.
The above post card shows the Hotel Cuba at its peak when it contained comfortable rooms and a dining room to serve travelers to Cuba who came by train and by Route 66. The hotel was originally built across from the train depot to serve railroad passengers. Then when Route 66 passed behind the hotel in 1931, the hotel built a new entrance on the Rt. 66 side to greet these travelers.
As with many of the old Route 66 buildings, its purpose has been changed, and it now serves as apartments. Even though many Cubans still refer to the old Cuba Hotel, if one looks above the door, the old engraving that says Hotel Cuba is still visible.
Hotel Cuba sits across the street from the Southern Hotel that Bette Davis visited in 1948. That visit has been commemorated in one of Viva Cuba’s murals on the Cuba Free Press building, which is nearby.
For now, this slice of Cuba’s and Route 66’s history is damaged–but not destroyed.
Firemen converged on the area to contain the fire and evacuate residents.
The smoke from Hotel Cuba billowed down the street and across Rt. 66.
From the looks of things on Sunday morning, several residents had their apartments damaged.
Joe Sonderman’s latest book Route 66 in the Missouri Ozarks is available in bookstores and online.
UPDATE 1/11/11: Owner Gary Killeen is rehabbing the apartments. We plan an updated blog soon.
Jane, The blog is great, I enjoyed reading it, thanks for sending it to me. Joyce
This would be a good time for the community to make a Thanksgiving offering to the Red Cross in Cuba and designate it for those displaced by the fire.
This information came in to me yesterday afternoon…
Many of the people who were living in these apartments lost everything last night in the fire. This is tragic at any time, but with the approaching holidays it is even sadder. The local Red Cross has put these people up at Super 8 Motel for the next three days but after that they have no where to go. If anyone can be of any help please contact the Red Cross at 573-885-6214.
The Red Cross office in Jeff City told me today that they would be helping them with a deposit and first month’s rent and replacing clothes, etc.
[…] An apartment fire threatened the historic Hotel Cuba building in Cuba, Mo., but did not destroy it. There was some damage, but apparently not enough to seriously […]