DECOPOLIS artist William Franklin, was asked to create the design concepts for... 

VISIT AAA Road Fest Website!

Color schemes, design elements, and more were researched to create general guides for each of the presenting decades and elements.  These design concepts were then handed over to the crew of artists who would be building the structures, and the historians and writers who would be adding the fascinating facts, images and artifacts.   

The Road Fest teaser video below features one of the decade exhibits, the 1950's, which William designed! 

BELOW:  Tentative layout for the SageNet, Expo building at the Tulsa Fairgrounds to give some idea of the scale of this amazing event! 

BELOW: design concepts for each of the featured decades, 1920's, 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's, the 70's & 80's, and 90's to Today! 

Above: Part of the entrance design concept for the 1920's feature. 

The Birth of Route 66

Above: Each "Decade Feature" is housed inside a large Octagon. Inside the Octagon will be automobiles from the decade along with structural display elements, design elements, historical information, pop cultural references from movies and radio, scientific achievements, social history, and more!  All used to tell the story of America's Route 66. 

Above: Entrance design concept for the 1920's Octagon. 

Above: Design concept for an early gas station to be placed inside the 1920's Feature.

Above: Design concept for the walls inside the 1920's Octagon, upon which imagery and information will be applied. 

1930's

Researching the 1930's, led William to chose a bright and bold color scheme with strong Art Deco design elements. One big inspiration was the Worlds Fair in Chicago (The eastern starting point for Route 66) and another was the Wizard of Oz movie. 

Above: Initial design concept for entrance to the 1930's Route 66 feature. 

Above: Initial design concept for entrance to the 1930's Route 66 Octagon. 

Above and Below: Initial design concepts for a display featuring the 1933 Chicago Worlds Fair, and an alley featuring a Speakeasy/Gangster theme inside the 1930's Octagon.

Above: A "Wizard of Oz" inspired gas station display for the 1930's feature.  The design was also inspired by the many "Tower Gas Stations" of the era, including the "Tower Station and U-Drop Inn" in Shamrock Texas on Route 66! 

Above and Below: Designs created for the walls of the 1930's feature upon which imagery and information can be applied. 

1940's

Due to WWII, patriotism was at a fevered pitch during the 1940's, so William chose a Red, White and Blue design scheme to represent this decade. 

Above: Entrance design feature for the 1940's

Above: Entrance design for the 1940's.   Space left on either side for introductory material welcoming visitors to the 1940's Route 66 display.  

Above: Exterior design concept for a 1940's Route 66 themed Diner.  

Above: Wall pattern for the 1940's feature upon which images and information will be applied.

Above:  Initial design concepts, color schemes and inspiration for the interior of the 1940's Route 66 Octagon. 

1950's

The 1950's sit at the heart of our Route 66 timeline, and the imagery and designs of that decade have become synonymous with Route 66. This was the first "decade" William designed for the Road Fest.

1960's

1970's & 80's

Below: The design that will go over the entrance to the 1970's-80's exhibit.

These two decades saw Route 66, and many of the attractions along it, fall into decline and some were lost to us forever. Thus our theme "A Bumpy Ride". 

We had a blast designing this exhibit!
Our Galactic 66 Marketplace is a fun way of paying homage to the many iconic, science fiction and dystopian movies and TV shows of the 70's! Star Wars, Close Encounters, Mad Max, Logans Run, Alien, Andromeda Strain, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Space 1999, Battlestar Galactica, and more!

Inside, "Mortags Holo Shop" will feature movie posters and TV show images of "Earth Holos", there will also be a "Toys & Games" shop that can feature popular earth toys and games from the 70's!

90's to Today!

Below: The design that will go over the entrance to the 90's to Today exhibit!

The 1990's began to see a renewed interest and appreciation of Route 66. This interest and rebirth, has continued to pick up steam with not only old treasures being brought back to life, but new, fun and quirky attractions (like DECOPOLIS and our neighbor Buck Atoms) being added!

Visit a fun Drive-In Theater! A place to eat and relax!

Above: Camping has been a favorite pastime along Route 66! Here is a rendering William created for an RV Campground entrance idea to be set up at the Road Fest. The Road Fest event will feature numerous classic, and new, RV's!

The BIG Central Attraction

This great, walk-through, feature will be added to future Road Fest events as we ramp up to the Route 66 Centennial in 2026!

For more information about this event, dates, cities, ticket sales and more... click on the link below! 

WILLIAM will have a booth at the OKC and Tulsa, Road Fest events! You will be able to purchase some of his Route 66 artwork like the examples below.  William will also have some limited edition prints which he can hand sign for you! 

More souvenirs!  Just some of what you can find online today, at DECOPOLIS on Route 66, and at the upcoming Route 66 Road Fest!

SHOP   DECOPOLIS
SHOP   DECOPOLIS