Wadham's Oil and Grease Company of Milwaukee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Wadham's Gas Station
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 Location in Wisconsin
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| Location | West Allis, Wisconsin |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1927 |
| Architect | Alexander C. Eschweiler |
| Architectural style | Japonist |
| NRHP reference No. | 04000849 |
| Added to NRHP | August 11, 2004 |
The Wadham's Oil and Grease Company was a business from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In the early 1900s, they owned many gas stations. Their main office was in Milwaukee, and their oil factory was in Indiana.
Contents
The Start of Wadham's
Harger W. Dodge became the leader of Wadham's in 1916. He noticed that more and more people were buying cars. He wanted to make it simple for them to get gasoline. So, he built special gas stations that were set back from the street. These stations had large tanks for gasoline hidden underground. They also used electric pumps to fill up cars.
In 1930, a company called Vacuum Oil bought Wadham's. Later, Vacuum Oil became part of Socony, which is now known as Mobil. Mobil is a very large oil company today.
Why Pagoda Gas Stations?
In the early days, most gas stations were small and plain. They often looked like simple sheds. People sometimes complained that they were not very attractive. Harger W. Dodge wanted his stations to stand out. He hired an architect named Alexander C. Eschweiler. Eschweiler was from Milwaukee.
The architect got his ideas from Japanese culture. This style was very popular at the time. He designed Wadham's unique "pagoda" stations. A pagoda is a type of tower with many roofs, often found in Asian countries. This design was an early example of using special buildings to create a company's unique look, also known as a brand identity. It also showed a style called Japonism, which is when Western art is influenced by Japanese art.
What Made Them Special?
Each Wadham's pagoda station was a little different. They had unique roof shapes and floor plans. The pagoda-style roofs were made from special metal tiles. Many of these red, gabled roofs had small towers on top called cupolas. These cupolas often had several levels. Lanterns sometimes hung from their corners.
The walls of the stations were black. They had bright yellow trim around the many glass windows. Most stations featured large, clear windows at the front. The sides often had windows made of many small glass panes. Wadham's built over 100 of these special pagoda stations. They were built between 1917 and 1930.
Where Are They Now?
Today, very few of these unique gas stations still exist. One station, built in 1927, was used as a gas station until 1978. It was fixed up in the year 2000. This station is now on the National Register of Historic Places. The city of West Allis keeps it as a museum display.
Another Wadham's station was built in 1926. It is located in Cedarburg. This building is now part of a historic area. It is currently used as a jewelry store.
See also
- Fantastic architecture
- Gas pump
