Adrian is situated along Route 66 in south central Oldham County, approximately 47 miles west of Amarillo. Adrian is the geo-mathematical midpoint of Route 66, positioned 1,139 miles from both Chicago, Illinois, and Los Angeles, California. The last Census population of Adrian was 128 people. We pulled into Adrian in the early morning hours and had a wander around town, capturing some of the scenes from this old Route 66 stop. The Historic Bent Door Cafe can be seen in the background.
The Bent Door Cafe and Midway Station. They built the cafe around the slanted panels of a military surplus aircraft control tower, that’s why the windows on the left slanted in, requiring a door likewise slanted, or “bent”, to match the walls and the Bent Door Cafe opened for business. From the 1950’s the cafe was leased to several different operators, one whom changed the name to Tommy’s Cafe. In the late 1960s, Interstate 40 bypassed the Town of Adrian, choking off Route 66 traffic and customers. The former Bent Door Cafe closed in 1970. I checked out the website I found on their FB page, entries were from around 2009, it appears it was in the process of being restored, but by the looks of it on our visit, the restoration came to a halt at some point. Although there is a small motel, diner and gift shop right in the immediate area.
Our 2025 Route 66 crew at the Route 66 Mid-Point marker in Adrian. Thanks for stopping.
