Skelly Service Station - Used Car Lot - St. Charles, MO - Vintage Gas Stations on Waymarking.com

County of building: Saint Charles County
Location of structure: Clark St. & N 4th St., SW corner, St. Charles
Built: 1937
Architect/Builder: Unknown
Architectural Style: Commercial/Service Station
Original Occupant: Lincoln Oil Company
Map

"Built: 1936-1939
Style/Design: Service Station
The filling station was built between 1936 and 1939, replacing a large two-story “colored” tenement and dance hall that had been converted out of a pre-1893 planing mill by the time the 1893 fire insurance map was published.
  The filling station was operated by Joseph C. Hays in 1939. By 1941 it was listed as the Lincoln Oil Company bulk station with Morraty Brothers operating the service station. In 1942, the service station was named the Dixie Service Station but the bulk station for the Lincoln Oil Company remained. By 1948, Delbert G. Lewis operated a used car dealership (also using the lot at 419 N. 4th) at the station operated by Malvin R. Lewis. In 1950, Richard Middeke replaced the Lewis operation and by 1952 it was alternately called Rich’s Service Station, but Middeke remained in business at least through 1955 when the service station was named Bruss Service Station. In 1959 it was Jim’s Skelly Service but throughout this time period it remained the Lincoln Oil Company bulk oil station as well. This is a good example of the simple design of filling stations built prior to World War II to meet the increased demand from the growing automobile traffic in the neighborhood.

"This one story, flat roofed, brick garage has been painted white, but retains most of its historic features. The building is set back in the lot and built in two rectangular parts, with the garage bays having a slightly higher flat roof with a brick false parapet, and it is set back slightly from the three bay garage office. In the east half of the façade, the door is centered between large plate glass windows with brick sills. The upper third of the door is glazed (4 lights) and there are two tall vertical panels below. The west half of the façade consists of two large overhead doors, both multipaneled with all but the bottom row being glass. To the east of these doors is another man door, which is a full light wood framed door. On the east side elevation there is a large industrial steel window on the north end, near the façade, and a high horizontal window mid-building that appears to be a replacement sliding window. In the southern bay of the east elevation is a secondary door with 4 lights in a small square opening above tall vertical panels. On the rear (south) elevation, there are two high, horizontal industrial steel windows on the west portion of the garage and in the east portion, which has a shorter roofline, there are three smaller windows (two of which have been boarded in, but the easternmost one retains its industrial steel sash).

"The entire lot is paved and there is a security fence around the rear of the lot." ~ St. Charles Historic Survey  Phase I, PDF pages 47-50

"209. 401 Clark Street; Service Station; circa 1937; Contributing
Located at the southwest corner of Clark and Fourth Streets, this 1-story, flat-roofed, painted brick commercial garage is divided into 2 rectangular sections. The western section, which houses the garage bays, has a slightly higher roof with a brick parapet, and it is set back slightly from the 3-bay garage office. In the east half of the façade the replacement half-glazed door is centered between large plate glass windows with brick sills. The west half of the façade consists of 2 large multi-paneled overhead doors, with all but the bottom row being glass. To the east is a full-light wood man door. On the east elevation is a large industrial steel window on the north end and a high horizontal window mid-building that appears to be a replacement sliding window. In the southern bay is a Craftsman wood door with 4 lights in a small square opening above 2 tall vertical panels. An interior end chimney extends above the east parapet." ~ NRHP Nomination Form   PDF page 76