The first true “gas stations” started appearing in North Carolina around the early 1920s. Before this time, drivers primarily purchased gasoline from general stores, hardware stores and other businesses that also sold kerosene. As time marched forward, gas stations across the nation became more than just a place to get fuel. They were landmarks symbolizing the automobile’s growing importance in American culture, representing progress and a new era of mobility. Major oil companies competed for customers by establishing distinctive corporate logos and slogans to build brand loyalty and to help consumers identify their stations.
In the 1930s, eight Shell Oil service stations with gas pumps located in front of the structures were built in Forsyth County – seven in Winston-Salem and one in Kernersville. Bert Lester Bennett, Sr. and his nephew, Joseph Henry Glenn, Jr., owners of the Quality Oil Company (a local marketer of Shell Oil) designed the stations in the unique shape of a giant scallop shell as an innovative advertising strategy to attract motorists.
The patent for these one-story, 18-foot-tall, three-dimensional novelty buildings was granted in November of 1930, setting the stage for construction by the Frank L. Blum Construction Company. Making a scallop-shell-shaped gas station was not easy! First, the office and bathroom were boxed in, then surrounded by a bent wood and wire framework over which a concrete stucco was applied. These novelty shell-shaped architecture service stations were designed to stand out, and they certainly did!
As time marched on, the buildings proved to be too small for expanding automotive services and many were forced to close, but the scallop shell gas station on the quiet corner of East Sprague and Peachtree Streets continued to serve the community until the mid-1950s. In 1972, JD Watson began renting (and later purchased) the gas station for his lawn mower repair shop which spared the iconic structure from demolition. In May of 1976, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Additionally, the city of Winston-Salem officially designated it as a local historic landmark in May of 1994. The once bright yellow-orange scallop shell structure slid into disrepair near the end of the 20th century.
In the late 1990s, Preservation North Carolina, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of historic sites, raised $50,000 and spent one year restoring the landmark to its former glory. It was tedious work! Layers of faded yellow paint were removed to reveal the original color, the crack in the original front door was repaired (it was previously sealed with black tar) and the interior was carefully restored and filled with antique Shell memorabilia, newspaper clippings and photos.
As a final touch, Quality Oil Company generously donated two restored gas pumps. This unique property remains today as the only one of its kind and, until 2011, it served as a regional office and informational center for Preservation North Carolina. The quirky service station of the past has a protective covenant which prohibits it from being architecturally altered or destroyed, so the scallop shell will be preserved in perpetuity. While it is not possible to enter the building, photo ops are available 24/7 at 1111 East Sprague Street.
