Shell Service Station (Winston-Salem, North Carolina)

The Shell Service Station in Winston-Salem, Forsyth County, North Carolina, was a filling station constructed in 1930 following a decision in the 1920s by the new local Shell distributor, Quality Oil Co., 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.

Shell Service Station
This Shell Service Station is the only one to survive today from a total of eight built in the Winston-Salem area
LocationSprague and Peachtree Sts., NW, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Coordinates36°4′4″N 80°12′51″W
Area0.5 acres (0.20 ha)
Built1930 (1930)
Built byBlum, Frank L.,& Co.
NRHP reference No.76001322[1]
Added to NRHPMay 13, 1976

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. The oil company donated restored gas pumps and replica lamp posts to help finish off the restoration. The landmark now serves as a satellite office and a museum for Preservation North Carolina.[4][2]

See also

Notes
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. Determining the Facts Reading 1: Representational Architecture, Roadside Attractions, National Park Service.
  3. 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.
  4. "The Last Shell Station: Remnants Of Another Era In Winston-Salem". February 24, 2017.
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