Gay Oil Roundtop Station - Sherwood, Arkansas
N 34° 48.739 W 092° 10.714
15S E 575128 N 3852537
Roundtop Station Listed As National Historic Site
Waymark Code: WM7J3H
Location: Arkansas, United States
Date Posted: 10/30/2009
Views: 11
Roundtop listed as national historic site.
By Greg Rayburn / Editor / Jacksonville Patriot
Thursday, February 21, 2008 2:15 PM CST
The Roundtop Filling Station, located on Trammel Road, recently was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Sherwood officials plan on seeking grants to restore the structure that is showing signs of wear and tear.
The Roundtop Filling Station on Trammel Road is one of 18 state properties that were recently listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the country’s official list of historically significant properties, Arkansas Historic Preservation Program Director Frances McSwain said.
The Roundtop station, which is owend by the city of Sherwood, was constructed in 1936 and reflects the Mimetic/Programmatic style of architecture, according to McSwain.
“In the 1920s, Gay Oil Company held a filling station design competition and the architect, John Parks Almand, won the competition with a ‘mushroom-shaped’ design,” according to the National Register nomination. “While a significant departure from the Almand design, the Roundtop Filling Station draws an architecture reference to the station designed of independent oil and gas companies from the prior decade.”
Last November, the Arkansas Department of Arkansas Heritage informed Mayor Virginia Hillman that the State Review Board of the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program had approved the Roundtop filling station’s nomination for national recognition. In the application, state officials said the Roundtop’s unique look makes it a good candidate for national recognition.
“Its defining characteristics, designed to provide visual interest to entice customers, include an octagonal main structure with a double-hipped turret roof, stucco walls, and arched window openings and entries,” according to the application.
The Roundtop was open until 1958.
“The Roundtop Filling Station is an example of the free flowing architecture used by smaller independent gas and oil companies between the 1920s and the 1970s to highlight their distinctiveness,” according to the application. “The distinctive double-hipped turret roof provided a visual attraction for automobile travelers on the road to and from Little Rock and St. Louis. The site also has two historic features relating to its historic use, a lamp/sign post and a concrete gas island.”
Type of publication: Newspaper
When was the article reported?: 02/21/2008
Publication: Jacksonville Patriot
Article Url: [Web Link]
Is Registration Required?: no
How widespread was the article reported?: regional
News Category: Arts/Culture
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