1111 Sprague Street, Shell Station, 1931, NR 1976, LHL #92

https://www.cityofws.org/DocumentCenter/View/3878/092---Shell-Service-Station-PDF?bidId=

In 1930, Bert Bennett, Sr. and his nephew Joe H. Glenn, Jr. purchased Quality Oil Company, established in 1929 as the local distributor for Shell Oil Company. They soon commissioned Frank L. Blum Construction Company to erect eight stations shaped like upright shells. Of the eight, only this Sprague Street station remains, listed in the National Register in 1976 and designated a local historic landmark in 1994.

The design of the station was patented on November 25, 1930. It is a shell-shaped wire and concrete structure that is one story high and approximately 18 feet tall. The bright yellow and red building features a central front entrance, with deeply recessed windows on each side (two windows on the west and one window on the east), and a small shop area for parts with an office to the rear. The station served motorists in the Waughtown area of Winston-Salem and Route 150 traffic until the 1950s.

The Shell Service Station is significant as a rare, surviving example of the literalism of early 20th century advertising. (Sometimes termed Roadside Architecture.) It also reflects the growing importance of the automobile as a symbol of freedom in America. The building’s form visually repeats the Shell gasoline brand and is a three dimensional representation of the Shell trademark. The building is literally a sign and an advertisement which is read and immediately comprehended. The shell design was unique as compared to what had been previously built by other major oil companies. Additionally, while there was not much profit in operating service stations during the 1930s, the station’s unusual design was highly beneficial in promoting the image of Quality Oil Company as an aggressive, innovative, new company.

During the 1990s, the Shell Service Station was restored by Preservation North Carolina, North Carolina’s historic preservation nonprofit advocacy group, and where the organization maintained a regional office until 2011. Today the Shell Service Station is privately owned. 1935 CD: Quality Oil Company Filling Station No. 7; 1945 CD: vacant; 1954 CD: Logan Shell Service Station.