City Cafe (Demolished)
Kingman, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Traveling the old roads can sometimes feel like stepping back in time. The most famous of these is The Mother Road, or Route 66. Although much of it has been either replaced by the Interstate or eroded away with time, Arizona is home to many intact stretches of the historic highway. Kingman, AZ, is a prime example of a Route 66 town that has kept its vintage boulevard spirit alive, maintaining a strong, nostalgic connection to legendary mid-century businesses like the City Cafe.
Originally built between 1939 and 1942 by Roy Walker on the Hilltop section of East Kingman—at the prominent corner of Stockton Hill Road and East Highway 66 (now Andy Devine Avenue) the site began life as a combined Texaco filling station and traveler's diner.
City Cafe (early 2000's)
Kingman, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
In March 1945, the restaurant was taken over by Mrs. Willie McCasland, who transformed it into a thriving, true 24-hour service hub. For more than fifty years, the City Cafe stood as an essential oasis in Mohave County, dishing out hot coffee, sizzling breakfasts, and hearty comfort food around the clock to weary cross-country road-trippers, long-haul truckers grinding through the desert night, and loyal local regulars swapping stories at the counter.
City Cafe close-up of marquee
Kingman, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Over its long lifespan, the building adapted to the ever-shifting rhythms of Route 66. When mid-century highway widening projects expanded the lanes of Andy Devine Avenue to handle booming post-war traffic, the diner lost almost its entire original front parking apron, forcing cars to tuck tightly along the sides. To battle persistent desert cloudburst leaks, its original flat roof was later retrofitted with a prominent pitched gable roofline. In 2005, during the final four years of its operation on the original lot, the venerable establishment received a energetic makeover and was renamed the Hot Rod / City Cafe, leaning into a classic car-culture theme complete with retro automotive memorabilia and cruising events before the restaurant operations eventually transitioned over to Hualapai Mountain Road.
However, like most places, Kingman has undergone constant change and many of the old relics from back in the day have either been closed and reopened under a different name or torn down completely.
City Cafe (early 2000's)
Kingman, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The historic Hilltop streetscape faced the wrecking ball in 2009. The entire vintage blocK which famously housed the City Cafe alongside the Imperial Motel, Oak Furniture, and Valley Furniture was completely cleared and flattened to make way for a modern Walgreens pharmacy. Fortunately, the story didn't end with total destruction: thanks to alert local sign-lovers and preservationists, the building's iconic, multi-tiered vintage neon roadside marquee was carefully salvaged just ahead of the bulldozers and placed in safe keeping with Legacy Signs in Kingman, where it awaits full restoration.
The City Cafe in Kingman, AZ was located on E Highway 66, also known as Andy Devine Avenue. A few years ago, the venerable City Cafe closed and replaced by the Hot Rod Cafe.
Hot Rod Cafe (2008)
Kingman, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
UPDATE: Word is that the City Cafe is closed. 02-09
UPDATE: The latest word is the Hot Rod Cafe has also closed down as Walgreen's is planning to build a store where the Hot Rod Cafe, Oak Furniture, Valley Furniture, and Imperial Motel was located. Walgreen's property developer purchased these buildings in early 2008. According to the Kingman Daily Miner article, Walgreen's hopes to have the store open by fall of 2009. 11-09
The City Cafe (Hot Rod Cafe), another of Route 66's treasures, appears to be no more.
UPDATE: Today, the original 1940s diner structure is gone from the corner of Stockton Hill Road and Andy Devine Avenue. While the physical counter stools and neon glow no longer greet nighttime travelers on the Hilltop, the preserved marquee and decades of warm hospitality along the Mother Road ensure the City Cafe remains one of Kingman's most fondly remembered roadside treasures. 08-26
City Cafe (Demolished)
City Cafe (early 2000's)
City Cafe close-up of marquee
