Teapot Dome Service Station

Teapot Dome Service Station
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
The Teapot Dome Service Station in Washington state is an example of novelty architecture and of a roadside attraction.
Location	Old State HW 12 Zillah, Yakima County, Washington
Coordinates	46°24′16.8″N 120°16′10.35″W / 46.404667°N 120.2695417°WCoordinates: 46°24′16.8″N 120°16′10.35″W / 46.404667°N 120.2695417°W
Area	2 acres (0.81 ha)
Built	1922
Architect	Jack Ainsworth
Architectural style	Follies
NRHP Reference #	85001943 [1]
Added to NRHP	August 29, 1985

The Teapot Dome Service Station is a former gas station built in the shape of a teapot. It was intended as a reminder of the Teapot Dome Scandal that rocked the presidency of Warren G. Harding and sent Interior Secretary Albert Fall to prison for his role in leasing government oil reserves in, among other places, Teapot Dome, Wyoming. Located at 117 First Avenue, Zillah, Washington, it is an example of novelty architecture and listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

History

The Teapot Dome Service Station was built in 1922 on what later became U.S. Route 12. The building has a circular frame with a conical roof, sheet metal "handle", and a concrete "spout". Many such novelties were constructed as roadside attractions as the national highway system in the United States expanded during the 1920s and 1930s. The unique service station continued operation as a full-service gas station for some years.^[2] When Interstate 82 was constructed near Zillah the station was relocated less than a mile down the Yakima Valley Highway. No longer in operation, it was purchased by the city in 2007, rehabilitated, and relocated in 2012 to 117 First Avenue.

See also

• Airplane Service Station, 1930 station built in the shape of an airplane
• Chester teapot
• Shell Service Station, 1930 station built in the shape of a scallop shell

External links

• Teapot information - City of Zillah
• “Roadside Attractions”, a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan

Notes

1. National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
2. Determining the Facts Reading 1: Representational Architecture, Roadside Attractions, National Park Service.