New Ulm Oil Company Service Station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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New Ulm Oil Company Service Station
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 Location in Minnesota
Location in the United States
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| Location | Broadway and Fifth Street, New Ulm, Minnesota |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1926 |
| Architect | George Saffert |
| MPS | Brown County MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 79001206 |
| Added to NRHP | December 31, 1979 |
The New Ulm Oil Company Service Station is a special old gas station in New Ulm, Minnesota. It was built a long time ago, in 1926. This building is important because it shows how unique and creative gas stations used to look in the 1920s. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 31, 1979. This means it's a very important historical building.
What Does It Look Like?
This gas station is built in a unique way. It faces the corner of North Broadway Street and North 5th Street in New Ulm. The main part of the building has two tall towers on each side. These towers have copper roofs. They are shaped like an eight-sided figure (octagonal) at the bottom. Above that, they become round (circular).
Between the two towers is a one-story area. This part was used as an office or a shop. From this area, a roofed section sticks out. This section is called a canopy. It covers the area where cars would drive through to get gas. The top edges of the canopy have a decorative wall called a parapet. This wall has a wavy, curvy shape.
The building has many arched windows and doors. You can find them under the canopy and on the two towers. All these openings have special decorative pieces above them. These pieces are made of precast concrete and form a fancy band around the building. The whole building is made from colorful "Artstone block." This special stone was made by the company that designed the building.
When the building was first designed, it was supposed to have windmill blades. These blades would have been at the top of each tower. However, they were never put on. Over the years, some small changes were made to the building. For example, the red tile roof on the canopy was changed to asphalt shingle. Also, a wooden screen was added to the front of the canopy. After the building was listed as a historic place, the wooden screen and the old gas pumps were removed.
Why Is This Gas Station Important?
The 1920s was a time when many gas stations were built. More and more people were buying cars. This was a big change for places like Brown County, which was mostly rural. The New Ulm Oil Company Service Station was part of this growth.
This gas station was one of many designed by the Saffert Construction Company. This company is now called American Artstone Company. They were based in New Ulm. In the 1920s, they designed a series of gas stations. These stations had very strong and imaginative designs. They often included fun features like windmills or even lighthouses.
These stations were different from the standard designs used by big national gas station chains. Instead, they were custom-designed for specific places. They were built for smaller, independent oil companies. The New Ulm Oil Company Service Station is one of only two known stations from that time that still looks very much like it did originally. This makes it a very special historical building.
