Winslow, Arizona

Standin' On the Corner Park

This public square capitalized on a single Eagles reference to bring some life back to an Arizona town.

Winslow, Arizona was once the largest town in the northern part of the state, but after the traffic from Route 66 dried up the town fell into a depression that only an Eagles song could fix.

During the heyday of tourism along America’s historic Route 66, Winslow was a well known spot among the arid Arizona expanse. So well known in fact that the band dads love, and everyone else loves to hate, the Eagles, mentioned the town in their classic rock staple, Take It Easy. Unfortunately things weren’t easy for very much longer in Winslow as the trans-national I-40 highway finally opened and their stretch of Route 66 was no longer the necessary thoroughfare it once was. Once the road closed, so did a number of businesses in the town, making the future look bleak.

Luckily a local group looking to reinvigorate the town remembered the reference in the Eagles song and had the idea to capitalize on it. Thus Standin’ On the Corner Park was born. Bringing the scene from the song to life, a bronze statue of a musician in 70’s garb stands on the corner with his instrument on his toe. Painted on the brick wall behind him is a tromp l’oeil mural of a woman in a pickup truck reflected in a storefront window. The entire effect is to bring the song’s easy breezy story to life.

The plan worked and Standin’ On the Corner Park is now a popular roadside attraction along the now historic Route 66 road, bringing new tourism to the area and allowing a number of local businesses to reopen. Winslow can once again, take it easy.