Teapot Dome Service Station

History

The Teapot Dome Station, 1987

The 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.[1] When Interstate 82 was constructed near Zillah in 1978 the station was relocated less than a mile down the Yakima Valley Highway. After the gas station was closed in 2006, it was purchased by the city the following year, rehabilitated, and relocated in 2012 to 117 First Avenue.[2][3] It now serves as Zillah's visitors center.[2]

^ Determining the Facts Reading 1: Representational Architecture, Roadside Attractions, National Park Service. ^ a b Meyers, Donald (May 14, 2017). "It Happened Here: Political scandal inspires gas station". Yakima Herald-Republic. Retrieved July 26, 2018. ^ Hale, Jamie (July 26, 2018). "Roadside attraction meets political scandal, at Teapot Dome in central Washington". The Oregonian. Retrieved July 26, 2018.