BACK STORY

The Huxford Oil Company

Photo courtesy Historic Mobile Preservation Society

IN 1926, LOCAL ARCHITECT C. L. HUTCHISSON SR. designed a novel gas station for the northwest corner of Government Street and Dearborn, next to where the McDonald's sits today. Commissioned by the Huxford Oil Co. as its second location, this one was especially noteworthy with its ceramic tile shingles and upturned eaves. The spire appears more reminiscent of a Japanese pagoda, but nevertheless the building became known as the Chinese fi lling station. The striking edifi ce eventually became a tire store, lasting through the 1970s. By the 1980s, the adjacent McDonald's tore it down to make way for expanded parking.

!"#$#*+(3#:-$%&-&+3:-:$"*'$-&$-*1#$*$0/41#-$-&$2(*4#:$ (31#$2"*+%*43#:$*5'$0(*41:%3-"$:"&2:$-&$E#-$-"#3+$,/#(6$ Later, grocers and other businesses installed streetside pumps for extra income, where cars lined up to refuel, causing traffi c jams. By the 1910s, purpose-built fi lling stat ons were :2+#*'35E$*4+&::$-"#$4&/5-+)$:&$%&-&+3:-:$4&/('$2/(($ off the road for air, water and fuel with an at endant &5$'/-)6 By 1929, the US census counted 121,513 fi lling stat ons nat onwide.

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(./01+ 2'34)

!"#$"*+'$-&2$8&'#($!$G*:$ :&$53415*%#'$0#4*/:#$ 4&/5-+)$'&4-&+:$5##'#'$ protect on from the G#*-"#+$*5'$*$-+/51$-&$ 4*++)$-"#3+$E#*+$G"#5$ %*135E$"&/:#$4*((:6$ The number of gas stat ons 35$8&03(#$35$=>??6$@3-"$-"#$ #A2(&:3&5$&,$*/-&%&03(#$ traffi c in that decade, the 5/%0#+$"*'$+3:#5$-&$BC$0)$ &5()$=>?D6

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