The Shell Service Station in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is a former filling station constructed in 1930 following a decision in the 1920s by the new local Shell distributor, Quality Oil Company, to bring brand awareness to the market in Winston-Salem. The building is an example of representational or novelty architecture and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 13, 1976. It is located in the Waughtown-Belview Historic District at the corner of Sprague and Peachtree Streets.
History
This single-story Shell station, in the shape of a giant scallop shell, was built by R.H. Burton and his son, Ralph, in 1930 at Sprague and Peachtree Streets in Winston-Salem. The owners of the oil company decided to attract customers through a series of shell-shaped service stations. They built at least eight in the Winston-Salem area, but the station at Sprague and Peachtree is the only one remaining. The Shell station speaks to the literalism prevalent in some advertising during the 1920s and 1930s.[2][3]
Preservation
Preservation North Carolina, an organization dedicated to the preservation of historic sites, spent one year and $50,000 to bring the landmark station back to its original condition. Workers removed layers of faded yellow paint to reveal the Shell's original yellow-orange color. The original front door was repaired and a crack fixed that had been previously sealed with nothing more than black tar. The wooden, trellised shelter that housed the car wash and allowed cars to be washed and/or serviced in the shade was reconstructed as well. Quality Oil Company donated restored gas pumps and replica lamp posts to help finish off the restoration. The landmark now serves as a museum for Preservation North Carolina.[4][2]
See also
- Airplane Service Station, 1930 Powell, Tennessee station built in the shape of an airplane
- Beam's Shell Service Station and Office, 1930 Shell station also on the NRHP
- Teapot Dome Service Station, 1922 Zillah, Washington station built in the shape of a teapot
Notes
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ a b Determining the Facts Reading 1: Representational Architecture, Roadside Attractions, National Park Service.
- ^ Brent Glass and Mary Alice Hinson (October 1975). "Shell Service Station" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places - Nomination and Inventory. North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office. Retrieved 2014-11-01.
- ^ "The Last Shell Station: Remnants Of Another Era In Winston-Salem". February 24, 2017.
External links
- Shell Station at oldgas.com - with a photograph of a shell-shaped station during construction
- Preservation North Carolina details of the restoration project
- “Roadside Attractions”, a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan
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