Teapot Dome Service Station
Encyclopedia
The 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 attraction
s as the national highway system
in the United States expanded during the 1920s and 1930s.
that rocked the presidency of Warren G. Harding
and sent Interior Secretary Albert Fall to prison for his role in leasing government oil reserves in, among other places, Teapot Dome, Wyoming. The unique service station continued operation as a full service
gas station for some years. When Interstate 82 was constructed near Zillah, the station was relocated less than a mile down the Yakima Valley Highway. It is no longer in operation. In 2007, the town of Zillah purchased the station, and is attempting to raise money to keep it operational.
Zillah, Washington
Zillah is a city in Yakima County, Washington, United States with a population of 2,964 at the 2010 census.-History:Zillah was founded in 1891 following the completion of the Sunnyside Canal project, an irrigation scheme delivering water from the Yakima River to the arid lower Yakima Valley. Walter...
is one example of novelty architecture
Novelty architecture
Novelty architecture is a type of architecture in which buildings and other structures are given unusual shapes as a novelty, such as advertising, notoriety as a landmark, or simple eccentricity of the owner or architect. Many examples of novelty architecture take the form of buildings that...
listed on the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
. Many such novelties were constructed as roadside attraction
Roadside attraction
A roadside attraction is a feature along the side of a road, that is frequently advertised with billboards to attract tourists. In general, these are places one might stop on the way to somewhere else, rather than being a final or primary destination in and of themselves. The modern...
s as the national highway system
United States Numbered Highways
The system of United States Numbered Highways is an integrated system of roads and highways in the United States numbered within a nationwide grid...
in the United States expanded during the 1920s and 1930s.
History
The Teapot Dome Service Station was built in 1922 on what later became U.S. Route 12. The building has a circular frame with a conical roof, sheet metal "handle", and a concrete "spout". The station was intended to be a reminder of the Teapot Dome ScandalTeapot Dome scandal
The Teapot Dome Scandal was a bribery incident that took place in the United States in 1922–23, during the administration of President Warren G. Harding. Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall leased Navy petroleum reserves at Teapot Dome and two other locations to private oil companies at low...
that rocked the presidency of Warren G. Harding
Warren G. Harding
Warren Gamaliel Harding was the 29th President of the United States . A Republican from Ohio, Harding was an influential self-made newspaper publisher. He served in the Ohio Senate , as the 28th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio and as a U.S. Senator...
and sent Interior Secretary Albert Fall to prison for his role in leasing government oil reserves in, among other places, Teapot Dome, Wyoming. The unique service station continued operation as a full service
Full service
Full service is a term that has many different uses. In general the term implies that the customer will receive as much service as is reasonably possible.-Gas station:...
gas station for some years. When Interstate 82 was constructed near Zillah, the station was relocated less than a mile down the Yakima Valley Highway. It is no longer in operation. In 2007, the town of Zillah purchased the station, and is attempting to raise money to keep it operational.
See also
- Airplane Service StationAirplane Service StationThe 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...
, 1930 station built in the shape of an airplane - Shell Service Station, 1930 station built in the shape of a scallop shell