The Standard Oil Gasoline Station is a historic building once used as a

gas station A filling station, also known as a gas station () or petrol station (), is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold in the 2010s were gasoline (or petrol) and diesel fuel. Gasoline ...

in Plainfield, Illinois.

History

The Lincoln Highway was the first paved road in Plainfield. As the first transcontinental road in America, the road saw very heavy usage and was re-designated U.S. Route 30 in the 1920s. From 1940 to 1957,

U.S. Route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) was one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The h ...

ran concurrently with US 30 on the same section of Lincoln Highway through Plainfield, creating substantial traffic. Plainfield's location on the routes made it a prime location for refuelling stations.National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Standard Oil Gasoline Station
/ref> The station is a fusion of the "Domestic" and "Spanish" style gas stations that

Standard Oil Standard Oil Company, Inc., was an American oil production, transportation, refining, and marketing company that operated from 1870 to 1911. At its height, Standard Oil was the largest petroleum company in the world, and its success made its co-f ...

designed in the early 20th century. The Domestic elements were intended to represent a

cottage A cottage, during Feudalism in England, England's feudal period, was the holding by a cottager (known as a Cotter (farmer), cotter or ''bordar'') of a small house with enough garden to feed a family and in return for the cottage, the cottager ...

, promoting a mom-and-pop atmosphere, while the Spanish style incorporated southwestern architecture. Like most Standard Oil stations at the time, the color scheme was red, white, and blue. Built during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, the Plainfield station features less ornamentation than stations during the 1920s due to economic concerns; instead, large panes of plate glass were used along the sides of the station. The station was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 13, 1984. It is a contributing property to the Downtown Plainfield Historic District.

Architecture

The brick building has a stucco finish. The original metal roofing is intact. A small addition, built from cement block with a flat roof, was later constructed as a car wash. Four piers emerge from the roof and are decorated with glass-globed electric lights; the north two piers are further ornamented with a simple belt course. The two wooden doors have recessed panels below a window. The paint scheme was at one point changed to orange and yellow, but has been changed back to its original red, white and blue.

References

{{Standard Oil National Register of Historic Places in Will County, Illinois Transport infrastructure completed in 1932 Buildings and structures on U.S. Route 66 U.S. Route 66 in Illinois Retail buildings in Illinois Gas stations on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Illinois Transportation buildings and structures in Will County, Illinois 1932 establishments in Illinois Transportation in Will County, Illinois Standard Oil

History

Architecture

See also

References