Talk:Ambler's Texaco Gas Station

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Good article Ambler's Texaco Gas Station has been listed as one of the Geography and places good articles under the good article criteria. If you can improve it further, please do. If it no longer meets these criteria, you can delist it, or ask for a reassessment.
An entry from this article appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the Did you know? column on October 5, 2007.
November 5, 2007 Good article nominee Listed
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[edit] Tiny Coke bottle

What is a tiny Coke bottle? I heard this once, ;) Good question, obviously some kind of small Coke bottle but its significance beyond that is a mystery to me. Given the popularity of Coca-Cola memorabilia in the United States, I thought a post here might reveal an answer or a good place to look for an answer. IvoShandor 01:58, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] GA hold

A pretty good article. The POV, referencing, NOR, MOS is fine, and I have copyedited it. There are a few loose ends that popped into my head when I read the article

  • What was on the site of the land before the station was built?
  • Put in previous property owner, I think that it was just empty but I cannot find a source that explicitly state this. IvoShandor 18:14, 3 November 2007 (UTC)
  • Was the store funded by Texaco? How did the naming rights tie in?
  • Pretty sure it was just a franchise, but I am still looking on this. IvoShandor 18:14, 3 November 2007 (UTC)
  • Is it known why Texaco suddenly stopped supplying oil?
  • I haven't been able to find this anywhere yet. IvoShandor 20:21, 3 November 2007 (UTC)
  • Were there any notable changes to building’s operations during it’s lifetime? Renovations/expansions? What did it sell apart from petrol (presumably the usual food in a petrol station?)
  • A service bay was added in c. 1941–45, I have added some relevant info. There were also restrooms. I am not sure if my sources talk of specific products, but a couple are mentioned as being put in during the restoration, presumably this means similar products were found there originally. I will check over some stuff. IvoShandor 18:14, 3 November 2007 (UTC)
  • I also added that the station derives its commercial significance for providing motorists along U.S. Route 66 with various products and services. What I found explicitly stated was: fuel, oil and automobile services and repairs. I have added this additional information in the Significance section. IvoShandor 20:39, 3 November 2007 (UTC)
  • Do we know who operated the station after Becker when it was shut down and why it was shut down? (Downturn in business? Too outdated?)
  • I don't have a name but I did find that Becker leased it as an auto repair shop and have added this information. IvoShandor 18:14, 3 November 2007 (UTC)
  • Did the village need to apply to get the grant? If so, was there a campaign to raise money and so forth?
It was a federal grant, not sure about a campaign. The village probably just used tax money, but I will find out. I will see if the National Park Service has any relevant info on the grant. IvoShandor 18:14, 3 November 2007 (UTC)
I have found the relevant info on a National Park Service website, included and referenced in the article now. IvoShandor 17:37, 4 November 2007 (UTC)
  • Heritage application. Does an application need to be submitted or does the government just accredit it? Did the government give a citation statement on why the station was accredited? That way, it would be good if an official citation was given …”for significance in . . . “
  • I have clarified this in the "significance" section. IvoShandor 18:14, 3 November 2007 (UTC)
  • What facilities are there at this visitor centre apart from a museum like display?
  • That's about it really. They have maps, brochures and the like, and a person there to talk to about Route 66, you can walk around inside the building. Mostly it just stands as monument in time. IvoShandor 18:14, 3 November 2007 (UTC)
  • Did the village buy back the station from Becker with donated funds, or did Becker donate the building?
  • I have clarified this in the history, he donated it. IvoShandor 18:14, 3 November 2007 (UTC)
  • Did the building undergo any rebuilding or extensions during its lifetime?
  • Just the bay addition, see above. IvoShandor 18:14, 3 November 2007 (UTC)
I lied, the piers which support the canopy have been altered from the original, this info has been added. IvoShandor 18:23, 3 November 2007 (UTC)
  • How many pumps/bowsers did the building have? It seems like canonical info (if we have a ccar, we want to know how many cylinders it has)
  • Added info, more coming. Originally three Texaco pumps, they were eventually replaced with the two Marathon pumps pictured in the article. Have yet to add info about Marathon pumps. IvoShandor 18:14, 3 November 2007 (UTC)
  • Marathon pump info added. IvoShandor 18:23, 3 November 2007 (UTC)

Regards, Blnguyen (bananabucket) 23:52, 29 October 2007 (UTC)

I believe at least one of the answers to your questions, are actually already in the article.
  • On why it was listed: The building is a good example of the house and canopy style, and its architectural and commercial significance gained it listing on the National Register of Historic Places on 29 November 2001.
Most of the other stuff I should be able to address. Most government grants in the United States require some sort of application. The National Register of Historic Places requires a nomination form be filled out, it is one of the sources. I will clarify these in the article. I will get on this today probably, I think I can find most, if not all, of what your looking for. IvoShandor 17:33, 3 November 2007 (UTC)
Made lots of comments on progress above. This article is going to be a great model for gas stations, especially with your comments addressed. I can use it for Standard Oil Gasoline Station, which is next on my list. :) IvoShandor 18:14, 3 November 2007 (UTC)
My Sun-Times source is dead, temporary link, they probably charge for archives. I have access to Lexis Nexis and Ebsco and other databases so I will add a permanent link. IvoShandor 18:32, 3 November 2007 (UTC)
There is now a link to the LexisNexis copy of the article, you need a login but many libraries have free access, mine allows me to access it at home. IvoShandor 20:29, 3 November 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for filling out the gaps. Well done. Blnguyen (bananabucket) 03:48, 5 November 2007 (UTC)