Hat n' Boots gas station - Seattle, WA
N 47° 32.705 W 122° 19.307
10T E 551034 N 5265962
The Hat ‘n’ Boots Tex Gas Station was built to be the cornerstone attraction for the Buford Seals’ Frontier Village Shopping Complex.
Waymark Code: WM183QT
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 05/24/2023
Views: 4
Seals thought the whimsical concrete cowboy hat and boots would make a great addition to draw attention to his “Frontier Village” complex of shops and catch the eye of the motorists traveling along what was then the main highway between Seattle and Tacoma.
Legend has it that Elvis pumped gas for his Cadillac at the Hat ‘n’ Boots while filming It Happened at the World’s Fair in Seattle in 1963.
Construction of Interstate 5 relegated Highway 99 to secondary status, and the Hat ‘n’ Boots lost a major portion of its gas sales. The gas station closed in 1988, when its rent exceeded its revenue. It sat derelict -- the paint fading and chipping over time. Graffiti marred its exterior and grass sprouted up through the concrete. Brave skateboarders even climbed the hat to ride its brim.
The Department of Natural Resources, which owns the property on which Hat ‘n’ Boots stands, had no objection to the landmark being preserved, but wanted it moved. The Georgetown Community Council obtained title to the structures for $1 in 2002 and secured $250,000 in grants to fund their removal to a new Oxbow Park at 6400 S Corson Avenue, and restoration at the new site.
State: Washington
Nearest City: Seattle
Type: Americana - Motel, diner, roadside attraction, etc.
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