Some gas stations in the U.S. have become tourist attractions.
U.S. gasoline stations have been used to experiment with architectural styles, as installations for artists' projects or as quirky pit stops that could be seen nowhere else in the world. Some of the most famous stations across America have now become tourist destinations. Visiting these monuments to style, modernism and individuality give a sense of the diversity of American life.
Hydro, Oklahoma
Lucille's Hamon's Famous Route 66 gasoline station sits on North Frontage road on the old Route 66. Built by Carl Ditmore in 1929, Carl and Lucille Hamon bought the station in 1941. The station is not famous for its design, but for Lucille Hamon, who ran the station for the most part of 59 years, single-handedly. Hamon's ran the station after a divorce and after the road was cut off from the main Route 66. Hamon has even written a book about her experiences and Route 66. Lucille died in August 2000, but visitors are still welcome to come and take a picture on site.
Jack Colker Union 76 Station
Jack Colker Union 76 Station is on Crescent Drive in Beverley Hills, California. This building has a gigantic curved, trianglar roof, originally designed for LAX airport. It wasn't needed for the airport so it was installed at this gas station. This gas station is now considered to be a triumph in modernist architecture.
Petrified Wood Gas Station
The Petrified Wood gas station is in Lamar, Colorado. This station was built in 1932 by a lumber dealer named W.G. Brown. Brown built the station's walls and floors entirely with petrified wood. Some of the wood is now believed to be over 175 million years old. As of 2011, the Petrified Wood gasoline station is now owned by a car dealership and tire company. The structure itself remains as it was built in 1932.
Crochet Gas Station
The Crochet gas station is in Syracuse, New York. This abandoned gas station was used as part of artist Jennifer Marsh's World Reclamation Art Project. The station became the site of an installation that was created on May 5, 2007. The station was completely covered in 3-foot square patches of crochet that have been made by fiber artists from all over the world. The installation was used to call attention to the world's reliance on oil.
Tags: Lucille Hamon, Petrified Wood, become tourist, built 1932, Colker Union