The first (and maybe last!) time I felt joyful and excited about filling a car up for gas was during high school. I drove a light blue Ford Tempo that I christened Buffy, and like most teenagers at the time, I loved the freedom of being able to drive. Even spending my hard-earned dollars to fill up was a novelty. That youthful enthusiasm for a petroleum byproduct fled (I did end up driving the car for over a decade), and I’ve transferred my infatuation for driving and being “grown up” to a love affair with historic gas stations.*
Former filling station, Pineville, Kentucky.
Located diagonally at the intersection of Kentucky and Laurel Streets in downtown Pineville, Kentucky, is a diminutive former filling station with a red tile roof. It doesn’t show up on the 1919 or 1926 Sanborn Fire Insurance maps; I’m guessing its date of construction as the 1930s.
The small brick building is an example of the “house” type of historic gas station – after 1920, oil companies focused on building in or near residential neighborhoods. The “intrusion” of a service station on what were often prominent corner lots meant that a good deal of thought (and money) went into the design of these filling stations, ensuring that the newcomer would be aesthetically pleasing to its neighbors.
The main entry.
The one-story brick building is painted white, with blue paint outlining the windows. The façade is three bays wide, with an entry door flanked by what appear to be nine-light metal casement windows. The cross gable roof, clad in red tiles, has a pent roof running across at least three elevations, with exposed rafter tails.
A view of the former filling station on its lot. Google streetview.
Two brick piers mark the corners of the façade, and pierce the pent roof. A chimney (most likely a flue) is located at the end of the ridge of the front gable roof. There are two windows on the north elevation – a large display windows and smaller window with painted glass. A similar display window is located on the south elevation, along with another door. The gable contains what must have originally been a circular vent, now covered in plywood.
Façade and side elevation.
No signage remains, and I didn’t get lucky with any online research in my hunt to establish the original brand identity of the filling station. My top two contenders are Texaco or Humble. The latter was a new name to me, although I am far from a oil company expert.
A Humble gas station in Texas.
Humble Oil and Refining Company was founded in Humble, Texas, in 1911. Just eight years later, Standard Oil of New Jersey acquired 50% of the company. After Standard Oil came into the picture, Humble sold gasoline under the Esso, Enco, and Humble Brands.
Side and façade view.
The best part of my discovery of this little gas station – despite knowing so little about its history – is that it is still use in as part of an automotive repair business! That’s the best way to save a historic building, and along with it, a little bit of history. Utilize the building and maintain it – and everyone wins.
*You can read more about my penchant for historic gas stations at these links:
Old Gas Station on US 68, Mercer County, Kentucky
Pure Oil Station, Paris, Kentucky
The Death of a Corner Gas Station in Newport, Kentucky
Old Filling Station, Whitesburg, Letcher County, Kentucky
