Sonora St. Gas Station

sonoragasstation: Sonora Gas Station The gas station has been called the most widespread commercial building built in the country. Originally brick or metal sheds at the beginning of the 20th century, the architecture and the role of gas stations grew in significance only after the breakup of the Standard Oil Company in 1911, and the resultant competition that followed in the oil industry. In California, the gas station had added significance because, more than any other state, it is identified with its love of the automobile.

HISTORY:
The Sonora Street Service Station was located on the southwest corner of Sonora and East 18th Streets in Bakersfield. It was constructed in 1936, and was contracted to the Union Oil Company for most of its existence. The station was built in the Mission Style, characterized by its stucco finish, arches, and red tile roof. This style was common to gas stations in the southwest in the 1920s and 1930s.

The property and building were originally owned by Raymond G. Taylor. In 1954, Taylor sold them to Hans C. Nielsen. Nielsen's widow donated the station to the museum in 1989. The Sonora Street Service Station has been restored to the appearance of a Union Oil station in the early 1940s.

Restoration was completed in 1993 by the Bakersfield-Model A Ford Club who provided labor, materials and funding for the project.


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