Airplane Service Station
National Register of Historic Places

Airplane Service Station

Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee
Listed
March 18, 2004
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
04000198

About this property

The Airplane Service Station, also known as the Powell Airplane, is a service station built in 1930 in the shape of an airplane. Located on Clinton Highway in Powell, an unincorporated community in Knox County, Tennessee, it is on the National Register of Historic Places. The station was built by brothers Elmer and Henry Nickle. Their intent was to increase business by having a service station that was visually unique, both to area residents and to travelers on newly widened U.S. Highway 25. Elmer Nickle had a strong interest in airplanes, and so the station was constructed in the Mimetic architectural style in the shape of an airplane. The structure ceased being used as a service station in the 1960s, when it became a liquor store. It has also been a produce stand, bait and tackle shop, a used car lot and a barber shop. Knox Heritage and a local organization, the Airplane Filling Station Preservation Association (AFSPA), worked to preserve the structure. The building was renovated into a short-term rental residence.

Location

6829 Clinton Hwy
Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee
36.00942, -84.03121

Categories

COMMERCEARCHITECTURE
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Beale Street Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Pre Contact
2.3 mi
Stratford
Industrial
3.5 mi
Middlebrook
Early Republic
4.4 mi
Bishop, Alexander, House
Industrial
4.4 mi
Racheff, Ivan, House
Industrial
4.8 mi

Questions about this property

When was Airplane Service Station listed on the National Register?

Airplane Service Station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 18, 2004.

What type of historic resource is Airplane Service Station?

Airplane Service Station is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Airplane Service Station?

The period of significance for Airplane Service Station is recorded as the industrial era, specifically around 1930.

Can I research the history near Airplane Service Station?

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