Route 66 Steak 'n Shake - Springfield, Missouri - Wikipedia Entries on Waymarking.com

Route 66 Steak ‘n Shake is a one-story, rectangular plan, concrete building with a flat roof, exterior glazed ceramic tiles (all elevations), and a poured concrete foundation. The roof is covered with asphalt and projects beyond exterior walls at all elevations. The roof overhang is edged with neon lighting and bears slogans associated with the chain establishment: “Grinding Only Gov’t Inspected Beef for Steakburgers” (north elevation); “Famous for Steakburgers,” “Genuine Chili,” and “Tru-Flavor Shakes” (east and west elevations); and “In Sight it Must Be Right” and “We Protect Your Health” (south elevation). At the center of the flat roof, a bulb and neon sign bears the restaurant’s name, “Steak ‘n Shake.” Below the Steak ‘n Shake neon lettering, the sign bears the painted slogan, “It’s a Meal.” The large linear sign extends east-towest across the width of the building. The south end of the sign rises vertically and slants diagonally, drawing visual attention to the sign’s asymmetrical design. The sign is two-sided (east/west) and bears identical neon/painted lettering on each side.

The building’s primary (north) elevation faces E. St. Louis Street (formerly Route 66). The elevation holds a central commercial style glass and metal door with an upper single-pane transom. The entry is offset to the west by four floor-to-ceiling height glass panels divided by aluminum sashes. East of the entry, the door is offset by three upper half-length glass panel windows with aluminum sashes. Below the west windows, the façade is clad with glazed ceramic tiles. The tiles are primarily white; though narrow bands of black tiles border the upper and lower elevation. Spanning the façade near the roof is a red-and-white striped pattern drop-down canvas awning that bears the Steak ‘n Shake slogan, “Takhomasak.”

The east (side) elevation faces National Avenue. This elevation holds a striped drop-down canvas awning similar to that noted on the facade. Below the awning, the elevation features a continuous band of nine single-pane windows, which span the entire elevation. The window lights are divided by narrow aluminum bands. Slightly off-center on the elevation is a walk-up customer service window with an attached exterior stainless steel tray stand. The lower elevation is clad with glazed white ceramic tiles. Similar to the primary elevation, the tiles are bordered (top and bottom) by narrow bands of black tiles. The southeast corner of the elevation is recessed to create a walk-up service bay. This area is covered by the roof overhang, supported by a single metal column. The exterior walls of the recessed area hold upper window panels. Below the windows are flat-topped metal projections that house air conditioning equipment. The L-plan rectangular air conditioning unit rests on a poured concrete slab.

The west (side) elevation supports a drop-down canvas awning (with logo) that spans half of the elevation (from the north end). Below the awning, the elevation holds three large floor-to-ceiling windows. The remainder of the elevation is clad with white ceramic tiles. The lower elevation is clad with a slender band of black tiles. The south end of the elevation holds two solid single-door entries. One of the doors (nearest the north end of the elevation) is enclosed with plywood. The other entrance retains an original wood door with a lower metal grate. Extending along the elevation is a concrete sidewalk. An exterior stairwell leads from the sidewalk to a basement entry via a door on the lower (sublevel) elevation. The basement staircase is offset by a metal handrail. Concrete linear barriers extend along the handrail near the parking lot. The basement entry is covered by a solid metal door.

The south (rear) elevation serves as a drive-up area for customers. The wall is clad with exterior ceramic white tiles. A foundation level band of black tiles is also intact (similar to the other elevations). The southeast corner of the elevation supports a recessed customer walk-up area that is shared by the east elevation (as noted above). Offsetting this area is a drive-up window (on the south elevation wall) that holds a two-panel sliding window. West of the drive-up window bay is a single door with a single window. Similar to the remaining elevations, a concrete sidewalk extends along the elevation.