The scallop-shaped Winston-Salem Shell Station, located in the Waughtown-Belview Historic District of Winston-Salem, is worth a short detour if you’re in the area. It’s whimsical, nostalgic and an innocent reminder of simpler times.
This classic American roadside attraction, and symbol of a bygone era, is located at the corner of Sprague and Peachtree Streets. Between 1930 and 1933, R.H. Burton and his son, Ralph, local distributors for the Shell Company, built (8) shell-shaped gas stations in North Carolina. This one is the last remaining station.
The Winston-Salem Shell Station, a 16’ x 20’ structure patented on November 25, 1930 and built for a modest cost of $5,000, was constructed of concrete stucco over a framework of wire and bent wood. To the left of the station is a wooden, trellised shelter that served as a shaded area for car washing. The site remained a functioning gas station until the mid 1950’s and eventually served as a lawn mower repair center in the 70’s and 80’s. Though it was listed as a National Register of Historic Places in 1976, by the 90’s it had fallen into significant disrepair.
The local Preservation North Carolina organization stepped in and conducted a one-year renovation, at the cost of $50,000, to restore this wonderful eclectic piece of nostalgia. The Shell Company even stepped in by donating the replica lamp posts and restored gas pumps. Though you can’t actually go into the Winston-Salem Shell Station, take a peak inside to see tons of nostalgia from newspaper clippings announcing its opening to antique items including old Shell signs, cans and photos.
Do you have any favorite American roadside attractions? We’d love to hear all about them!
I lived in Winston Salem over 50 years. I remember when it was a lawnmower repair shop. Also I would pass it everyday on my way to school (Hill High School) I always wondered how they got it to look like a shell. Now I know!