Erick, OK – Preservation Oklahoma has released its 2025 list of the state's Most Endangered Places, and Erick’s own West Winds Motel has made the list. Built around 1948 by Floyd Pamplin along historic US-66, the motel was designed as a classic motor-court to welcome the wave of post-war travelers.

The West Winds Motel is recognized today for its original layout and rare garage bays, which helped earn it a place on the National Register of Historic Places on May 27, 2004. But time hasn’t been kind. The motel closed in the 1990s and has been used as a private residence ever since, with much of its iconic roadside character fading from view.

Despite these challenges, there’s renewed hope. In 2024, the City of Erick received a $35,710 grant aimed at restoring the motel’s neon sign — a small but meaningful step toward preserving what remains.

Preservation Oklahoma’s annual list, established in 1993, calls attention to places across the state facing threats from neglect or demolition. While the designation itself doesn’t guarantee protection or funding, it often sparks the local action needed to turn things around.

See the full 2025 list at www.preservationok.org.