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| Landmark #5513 | Wheeler County | Visited: November 3, 2018 | Plaque? YES! 🙂 |
| What is it? | The tower building is an iconic restaurant and filling station on old Route 66! |
| What makes it historical? | THE PLAQUE SAYS: The distinctive Tower Building was one of many commercial structures erected in the early 1930s along new U.S. Route 66. Designed by Pampa architect, J. C. Berry, the structure was built by local entrepreneur, J. M. Tindall in 1936. The Tower Building is an excellent example of a gas station/diner of the 1930s and exhibits many elements of the art deco style, curvilinear massing, and neon highlights. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark – 1994
OTHER TIDBITS: This neat filling station/diner combo rose right out of the dust! Its designer, John Nunn, who would later operate the U-Drop-Inn, took a rusty nail and drew the initial design into the dust right here on the edge of the Dust Bowl! First came the titular Tower Service Station, run by W.C. Tennison, and then, the U-Drop-Inn, named by a local student during a contest, came after. It all cost about $23,000 in 1936, which amounts to over $400,000 by today’s standards! The station operated for around 40 years, and now it’s a visitor center for the Chamber of Commerce! |
| How can I Help the Helpers? | HERE’S HOW:
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| How do I find it? | Listed Directions: 105 E 12th St Shamrock, TX 79079 Annotations: From Austin: ~426mi (686km) — 7.1hrs |
| When should I go? | You can see the exterior any time you like, but when I showed up during posted business hours, it was still closed. Your guess is as good as mine! |
