Urban Route 66, Williams
through Williams began as a dirt street in the center of town which was
later cindered and then paved. Despite some modern encroachments, most of U.S. Route 66
through Williams is lined with properties dating from the historic period. The four
block long Williams Historic Business District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 20, 1984.
It is flanked on the east and west by a
commercial strip with motels, service stations, and restaurants dating to the 1920s,
1930s, and 1940s. One block of this commercial strip is west of the business
district, and four blocks are to the east. The distribution and construction dates
of these associated properties in Williams are directly related to construction of
U.S. Route 66.
Unlike many stretches of U.S. Route 66 today, it is a good example of what the highway "looked like" during its heyday.
Williams continues to cater to the tourist trade, although Interstate 40 bypassed
Route 66 on October 13, 1984.
| Name | Year Built | Architectural Style | Comments |
| Rock Building | 1936 | ||
| Babbitt-Polson Building | 1907 | Only Art Deco style building in Historic District | Originally five smaller buildings combined and covered with stucco; housed grocery, hardware, department stores and bakery |
| Bennett's Auto | 1930's | Modern Style | Gas station during heyday of Route 66 when gas sold for $0.16/gallon |
| The Postal Telegraph Co. | 1910 | Operated until 1940's | |
| Unknown named original building | ca. 1910 | ||
| Rittenhouse Haberdashery | ca. 1910 | Was a men's clothing store for 60+ years | |
| Grand Canyon Drug Company | ca. 1912 | Pharmacy and soda fountain in front, doctor's office in rear | |
| Old Parlor Pool Hall | ca. 1910 | ||
| Lebsch Confectiionery | ca. 1914 | ||
| Dime Store | ca. 1912 | ||
| Duffy Brother's Grocery | 1912 | Originally a bank, mostly grocery store, also a dime store. Original tin ceiling | |
| Citizens Bank | 1918 | Neoclassical revival | Financial center of lumber, ranching, and railroad operations; closed in 1958 |
| Sultana Theatre | 1912 | Saloon, billiard hall, silent movie theatre; liquor and gambling during prohibition; first "talkie" in Northern Arizona shown in 1930 | |
| Pollock Building | First floor constructed after 1901 fire; 2nd floor 1927 | "Rusticated" Romanesque Revival | Originally bank, has been newspaper, telephone/telegraph office. Constructed of locally quarried dacite; 2nd story brick |
| Grand Canyon Hotel | 1892 | Victorian Commercial style | Has survived several fires; the ground floor has served as a drug store, grocery store, dance hall, curio shop, and a meeting hall for Knights of Pythias Lodge |
| Unknown originally named building | 1907 | ||
| Old Post Office | ca 1907 | ||
| General Store | 1907 | ||
| Adams Grocery | ca. 1907 | ||
| Bowden Building | 1947 | Flagstones quarried from "Flagstone Capital of the World", 18 miles west of Williams; built during the post-WWII migration to California |