Waughtown and the famous Shell shaped gas station

[Myles Away]

This is a tour of a popular East Winston-Salem neighborhood that has homes dating back to 1790 and was once home to the largest wagon maker in the nation. Today its a diverse working class neighborhood working to restore it's self. Its a good tour. I'm reposting it from SkyscraperPage forum for others to see. Look at the Shell gas station! That is a sweet historical building!

Waughtown was first called Charlestown or Baggetown for it's

founder Charles Bagge. The neighborhood was later named for

the Waugh family, after they moved there. It's a working class

neighborhood, with a good variety of old houses. What Waughtown

is best known for is the Shell Station and Nissen Wagon Works,

once the largest wagon manufacturer in the U.S. By the 1870's

John Philip Nissen's factories covered more than 600 acres on

Waughtown Hill. The business closed in 1948.

In the early years of the automobile, businesses would

build "eye-catching" buildings so travelers would stop.

These buildings were often in the shape of the items or services

the business sold or offered. Some, like this one, were in the

shape of the company logo.

By the late 1930's these designs were on the way out,

as corporate dominance and standardization won out.

Built in 1930 by Quality Oil, as one of eight shell shaped gas

stations in Winston-Salem, this is the last one still standing.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

It was used as a lawnmower repair shop by J. Don Watson

for years after it closed in the 1970's and that saved it from

demolishion. Watson bought the building in 1980. In 1996,

Preservation North Carolina won a grant to restore the station

and it became their regional office for Northwest North Carolina.

Watson remembers warming himself by the stove there on cold

mornings when he was a young boy serving as a crossing guard

at that intersection. (Peachtree and Sprague)

They peeled away the paint and matched Shell's original yellow-orange color.

Notice the round openings near the windows. Inside are lights.

All the window openings had exterior lights and at night they do

turn on the lights on the building, the signs and the pumps.

Here are some historic photos taken when the station was new.

Built by R.H. Burton and his son, Ralph the structure was built of

bent green wood, wire and concrete stucco. Eighty-nine year old

L.L. Everhart, who managed the station in the '30s and 40s,

said "If it had fallen, it was just a piece of history that could

never, ever be replaced."

They also restored the adjacent car wash -- a wooden trellised

structure allowing cars to be washed and serviced in the shade.

The restored pumps and replica lamp posts

were donated by Quality Oil Company.

Old Victorian woodwork at a Moravian Church.

A large Victorian Free Classic Queen Anne house, called "Hillcrest"

in Waughtown. One of the large houses built by industrialists on

Waughtown Hill in the 1800's.

I like the idea of an upstairs porch accessed through windows.

I think I would sit up there every night.

This house was perfectly restored! I like the old light fixtures.

A beautiful old church in Waughtown, built in 1922.

The neighborhood is becoming one of the city's largest hispanic

neighborhoods. This chuch, as well as many businesses there,

are offering services in Spanish. Winston-Salem's population is

10% hispanic.

A beautiful Victorian Free Classic Queen Anne house.

This could be the biggest Moravian Church I've ever seen!

There was more on the other side!

This house was very beautiful. The runner up for

selection of best house in Waughtown.

A nice historic house across the street.

:eek: Matt's pick for best house in Waughtown :eek:

Built in 1882, this Victorian brick home has Eastlake accents and

blends in with the landscape. It also has beautiful wood shutters.

And here's the business that built the neighborhood. The famous

Nissen Wagon Works. I told the forum I would go back and

photograph the wagon works, next time I was in the area.

I'm giving a quick tour of the neighborhood too.

Here's a look at the old buildings of the Wagon Works. For a

short time, cars were made at this factory. Nissen could only

make luxury cars, due to the expense of sending parts to the

factory. They didn't sell too well, so he went back to making wagons.

A good idea, since his wagon business survived until 1948.

:eek: Matt's Pick: Most beautiful church in Waughtown! :eek:

It is a powerful design.

Beautiful churches say so much about a neighborhood.

This church has beautiful stained glass windows all around!

This church has multiple finals on the roof and dome.

This diverse neighborhood was a fun place to tour. It has a lot of

pedestrian activity. It started raining when I photographed

this church. If you decide to tour, you may want to visit Kermit's

Hotdog House, a 50's style drive-in with excellent hotdogs or

Char's, which has a good variety of food, including toasted

hotdogs. This neighborhood is the best place to get a hotdog in Winston-Salem.

Thanks for taking the tour!

[Neo]

Thanks for posting! That shell gas station is wild!! I love those old gas pumps, just something about them!

[monsoon]

[Myles Away]

Eastern Winston-Salem is not as photographed or talked about as western Winston-Salem. This is in eastern Winston-Salem.

[Allan]

Great pics! I especially love the shell-shaped gas station!!

[wolfdawg54]

The shell-shaped gas station is really neat. I haven't heard about it until now.