National Register of Historic Places

Teapot Dome Service Station

Zillah, Yakima County, Washington
Listed
August 28, 1985
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
85001943

About this property

The Teapot Dome Service Station is a former gas station built in the shape of a teapot located in Zillah, Washington, United States, that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Located at 117 First Avenue, the station is an example of novelty architecture. It was intended as a reminder of the Teapot Dome Scandal that rocked the presidency of Warren G. Harding and sent Interior Secretary Albert Fall to prison for his role in leasing government oil reserves in, among other places, Teapot Dome, Wyoming. The station was built in 1922 on what later became U.S. Route 12. The building has a circular frame with a conical roof, sheet metal "handle", and a concrete "spout". Many such novelties were constructed as roadside attractions as the national highway system in the United States expanded during the 1920s and 1930s. The unique service station continued operation as a full-service gas station for some years. When Interstate 82 was constructed near Zillah in 1978 the station was relocated less than a mile down the Yakima Valley Highway. After the gas station was closed in 2006, it was purchased by the city the following year, rehabilitated, and relocated in 2012 to 117 First Avenue. It now serves as Zillah's visitors center. National Register of Historic Places listings in Yakima County, Washington Airplane Service Station, 1930 station built in the shape of an airplane, Tennessee Shell Service Station, 1930 station built in the shape of a scallop shell, North Carolina Teapot information – City of Zillah Archived August 5, 2014, at the Wayback Machine “Roadside Attractions”, a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan

Location

Zillah, Yakima County, Washington
46.38755, -120.23516

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
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

Toppenish-Zillah Bridge
Industrial
2.4 mi
US Post Office-Toppenish Main
Industrial
3.8 mi
Yakima Indian Agency Building
Industrial
3.9 mi
Mattoon Cabin
Industrial
7.3 mi
Sawyer, W. P., House And Orchard
Industrial
7.4 mi

Questions about this property

When was Teapot Dome Service Station listed on the National Register?

Teapot Dome Service Station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 28, 1985.

What type of historic resource is Teapot Dome Service Station?

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

What is the period of significance for Teapot Dome Service Station?

The period of significance for Teapot Dome Service Station is recorded as the industrial era.

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