Airplane Service Station
Encyclopedia
The Airplane Service Station, also known as the Powell Airplane, is a service station
built in 1930 in the shape of an airplane. Located at 6829 Clinton Highway in Powell
, a neighborhood in Knox County, Tennessee
, it is on the National Register of Historic Places
.
The station was built by brothers Elmer and Henry Nickle. Their intent was to increase business by having a service station that was visually unique, both to area residents and to travelers on newly widened U.S. Highway 25. Elmer Nickle had a strong interest in airplanes, and so the station was constructed in the Fantastic architectural style in the shape of an airplane.
The structure ceased being used as a service station in the 1960s, when it became a liquor store. It has also been a produce stand, bait & tackle shop, and a used car lot. Knox Heritage and a local organization, the Airplane Filling Station Preservation Association (AFSPA), are working to preserve the structure.
. It was located at the intersection of Mineral Wells Avenue and Memorial Drive. Unlike the Powell station, only the roof was constructed in an airplane shape.
Filling station
A filling station, also known as a fueling station, garage, gasbar , gas station , petrol bunk , petrol pump , petrol garage, petrol kiosk , petrol station "'servo"' in Australia or service station, is a facility which sells fuel and lubricants...
built in 1930 in the shape of an airplane. Located at 6829 Clinton Highway in Powell
Powell, Tennessee
Powell is an unincorporated community in Knox County, Tennessee, United States. The United States Geographic Names System classifies Powell as a populated place. The area is located in the Emory Road corridor, just north of Knoxville, southeast of Clinton, and east of Oak Ridge...
, a neighborhood in Knox County, Tennessee
Knox County, Tennessee
Knox County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Its 2007 population was estimated at 423,874 by the United States Census Bureau. Its county seat is Knoxville, as it has been since the creation of the county. The county is at the geographical center of the Great Valley of East Tennessee...
, it is on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
The station was built by brothers Elmer and Henry Nickle. Their intent was to increase business by having a service station that was visually unique, both to area residents and to travelers on newly widened U.S. Highway 25. Elmer Nickle had a strong interest in airplanes, and so the station was constructed in the Fantastic architectural style in the shape of an airplane.
The structure ceased being used as a service station in the 1960s, when it became a liquor store. It has also been a produce stand, bait & tackle shop, and a used car lot. Knox Heritage and a local organization, the Airplane Filling Station Preservation Association (AFSPA), are working to preserve the structure.
Paris, Tennessee
There was a second, unrelated airplane-shaped service station built in 1933 in Paris, TennesseeParis, Tennessee
Paris is a city in Henry County, Tennessee, United States, west of Nashville, on a fork of the West Sandy River. In 1900, 2,018 people lived in Paris, Tennessee; in 1910, 3,881; and in 1940, 6,395. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 9,763. It is the county seat of Henry...
. It was located at the intersection of Mineral Wells Avenue and Memorial Drive. Unlike the Powell station, only the roof was constructed in an airplane shape.
See also
- Teapot Dome Service StationTeapot Dome Service StationThe Teapot Dome Service Station in Zillah, Washington is one example of novelty architecture listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Many such novelties were constructed as roadside attractions as the national highway system in the United States expanded during the 1920s and...
, 1922 station built in the shape of a teapot - Shell Service Station, 1930 station built in the shape of a scallop shell
External links
- Powellairplane.org – official AFSPA site
- Roadside America
- National Register of Historic Places
- Image gallery
- Airplane Service Station, c. 1931 — McClung Digital Collection