Gas Station at Bridge and Island Streets facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Gas Station at Bridge and Island Streets
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(2017)
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 Location in Vermont
Location in the United States
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| Location | Bridge and Island Streets Bellows Falls, Vermont |
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| Built | 1935 |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| MPS | Bellows Falls Island MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 88002161 |
| Added to NRHP | January 22, 1990 |
The Gas Station at Bridge and Island Streets is a really old and important car service station in Bellows Falls, Vermont. It was built around 1935. This building is a great example of how roadside buildings looked back then. Even today, it still works as a place to service cars! Because it's so special, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. This list includes places that are important to American history.
Discovering the Gas Station
This historic gas station is located in a unique spot. It sits on an island formed by the Connecticut River and the Bellows Falls Canal. You can find it at the corner of Island and Bridge Streets. These are the two main roads that cross the island.
What Does the Building Look Like?
The gas station is a one-story building. It is made of wood and has a flat roof. The outside walls are covered with clapboard siding, which are long, flat pieces of wood.
On the left side, there's an office area. This part looks fancy with tall, flat columns called pilasters and a pointed roof shape called a gable on top. The office has a big glass window and a door for people to walk through. Both the window and the door have smaller windows above them, called transom windows.
To the right of the office, there are two bays where cars can be worked on. Each bay has a modern garage door that opens upwards. The roof used to have a small tower called a cupola. But a storm blew it off, and now only its square base remains.
Why is This Gas Station Special?
This gas station was built around 1935. This was about the same time the nearby Vilas Bridge was built over the river. Both the gas station and the bridge show how much car travel was growing back then.
The building is a great example of Colonial Revival architecture. This style makes new buildings look like old colonial homes from America's past. It's quite rare to find gas stations this old in Vermont that are still in such good condition. That's why it's considered a valuable piece of history!
