Property Record
7195 COUNTY HIGHWAY H
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | |
|---|---|
| Other Name: | Ehlert Repair |
| Contributing: | |
| Reference Number: | 123922 |
| Location (Address): | 7195 COUNTY HIGHWAY H |
|---|---|
| County: | Iowa |
| City: | |
| Township/Village: | Arena |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | 8 |
| Range: | 5 |
| Direction: | E |
| Section: | 19 |
| Quarter Section: | NE |
| Quarter/Quarter Section: | NW |
| Year Built: | |
|---|---|
| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 2002 |
| Historic Use: | gas station/service station |
| Architectural Style: | English Revival Styles |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Clapboard |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
|---|---|
| National Register Listing Date: | |
| State Register Listing Date: |
| Additional Information: | July 2002-This circa 1920s, Tudor Revival, former gas station is sheathed is clapboard and is topped with a roof that is covered with asphalt shingles. The main (north) façade is pierced by a standard-sized entry door and a modern, sliding window. The left (west) elevation is identified by an original, eight pane, casement window and a brick wall chimney. Attached to a portion of this façade is a shed roof, garage addition constructed of concrete block. A smaller garage addition projects from the right (east) façade. The concrete block wings are pierced by one over one, double hung sashes. Little is known about this gas station, however, a 1924-25 state business gazetteer shows O.E. Holly owning the only gas station in the Arena area. Although no specific oil company affiliation was identified, the form exhibited in the gas station is similar to that employed by the Pure Oil Company in the late 1920s. As the automobile evolved into a popular form of transportation, the need for well-placed gas stations developed. And in order to make its stations recognizable to the public, the Pure Oil Company adopted a Tudor/English Cottage style design for its facilities. The design was implemented because it was inexpensive and fit well into almost any landscape. The move was a profitable one for the Pure Oil Company. Soon, other companies and individual station owners copied the popular style, thereby making it the most frequently used station design of the late 1920s and 1930s. |
|---|---|
| Bibliographic References: |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |