U-Drop Inn

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    Tower Station    
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
The original U-Drop Inn (circa 1936).—Courtesy of the Harris Armstrong Archives, Special Collections, Washington University in Saint Louis
The original U-Drop Inn (circa 1936).
—Courtesy of the Harris Armstrong Archives, Special Collections, Washington University in Saint Louis
Location: 101 E. 12th Street, Shamrock, Texas
Coordinates: 35°13′41.51″N, 100°14′56.86″W
Built/Founded: 1936
Architect: J.C. Berry
Architectural style(s): Art Deco
Added to NRHP: September 18, 1997[1]
NRHP Reference#: 97001160[1]
Governing body: City of Shamrock
U-Drop Inn (USA Texas)
U-Drop Inn

The U-Drop Inn, also known as Tower Station and U-Drop Inn and Tower Café, was built in 1936 in Shamrock, Texas along the historic Route 66 highway. Inspired by the image of a nail stuck in dirt, the building features art deco architecture designed by J.C. Berry including geometric detailing, curvilinear massing, glazed ceramic tile walls, and neon lights. Once considered a beautiful and impressive example of Route 66 architecture in Texas, the U-Drop Inn fell into disrepair with the decommissioning of Route 66. It closed for business in the late 1990s and was purchased by the First National Bank of Shamrock, which then gifted it to the city.

Primarily funded by a $1.7 million federal grant, the city hired a firm specializing in historical renovation to restore the building to its original glory and adapt it into a museum, visitors' center, gift shop, and the city's chamber of commerce. The revived U-Drop Inn was featured in the 2006 animated film Cars as the inspiration for the fictional Ramone's body shop.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Early days

Opened on April 1, 1936, the U-Drop Inn was built by J.M. Tindall using a design created by his friend, John Nunn, who scratched the design on a patch of dirt in the driveway of a nearby motel.[2][3] Tindall had Pampa architect J.C. Berry draw up the blueprints for the art deco structure, and construction began at the busy intersection of Route 66 and U.S. Route 83.[3] Nunn, whose family owned and ran the business, sponsored a contest to decide the name of the new building. An eight-year-old boy won a week's worth of waitressing pay (approximately $50.00 at the time) with his entry of "U-Drop Inn."[3] In addition to a café, the building housed a gas station that sold Conoco brand fuel and a store.[4] The store was never actually opened as a store, and became a ballroom and overflow dining area for the café.[5]

When the business opened, the local newspaper called it "the most up-to-date edifice of its kind on U.S. Highway 66 between Oklahoma City and Amarillo", with the café considered "the swankiest of the swank eating places."[6] At the time of opening, the U-Drop was the only café within 100 miles (160 km) of Shamrock, enjoying brisk business and becoming a successful establishment.[7] Nunn sold the Inn after several years, but purchased it back in 1950 and renamed it Nunn's Café. In 1957, John Nunn died and his wife Bebe sold the café to Grace Brunner who again renamed it, this time to Tower Café, and added a Greyhound bus station.[7]

[edit] Decline

After Nunn's death, the building passed through the hands of a few more owners and the station sold gasoline from various other companies.[7][8] In the 1970s, Fina took over the building, painting it red, white, and blue.[5] In the early 1980s, James Tindal, Jr. purchased the building whose construction his father had originally financed, repainted it to its original colors, and changed the name back to the original name of U-Drop Inn.[7] In the mid 1990s, the building was repossessed by the bank and closed completely in 1997.[6][8] Up through its closing, the café at the U-Drop was praised for its low-priced and tasty "home cooking."[9]

In 1956, with signing of the Interstate Highway Act, Route 66 fell into decline, with segments being bypassed via turnpikes and newer highways. With the opening of Interstate 40, Shamrock became one of the bypassed towns and the U-Drop Inn, which once served thousands of travelers fell into disrepair due to neglect.[10] In 1984, Route 66 was decommissioned by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, seeming to seal the fate of the town and the U-Drop Inn.[11] In 1990, several state and local historical associations began efforts to preserve the architectural landmarks along the old route, particularly the many derelict or abandoned motels.[11]

[edit] Restoration

At a cost of $1.7 million, the restoration of the U-Drop Inn took three years to complete.
At a cost of $1.7 million, the restoration of the U-Drop Inn took three years to complete.

Referred to as "one of the most impressive examples" of Route 66 architecture by the Texas Historical Commission,[12] the U-Drop Inn was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.[13] In May 1999, the First National Bank of Shamrock purchased the U-Drop Inn, then gifted it to the city of Shamrock.[10][4]

The city of Shamrock began taking measures to revive the neglected structure as a tourist attraction.[14] In 2000, the city hired Phillips Swager Associates of Dallas and Architexas, a firm specializing in historical preservation, to begin implementing a phased restoration plan.[15][10]

The company adapted the old gas station and café to act as the community's chamber of commerce and visitor center while preserving the building's architectural features and historical authenticity.[15] Old photographs and interviews with residents were used to aid the company in uncovering the buildings original details. They peeled away decades of paint layers and fabric to find the original interior and exterior colors. One of the more difficult aspects was in restoring the neon accents. While historical photographs showed where neon existed, they had all been taken during the daytime when the neon lights were off, making it difficult to determine what color the lights originally were.[10]

The restoration also included turning the building into a museum of its own history, giving it the authentic appearance of a working 1940 gas station.[5] With $1.7 million in funding by the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, the restoration was completed in July 2003.[2][10][15]

[edit] Architecture

The original U-Drop Inn was designed by John Nunn and architect J.C. Berry.[2][3] The building features a flared tower over the gas station, and two canopies, one facing Route 66 and one facing Highway 83 over the front of the gas station office. In the rear, a second, shorter tower contained the restaurant.[16] The main buildings were built of structural clay tile with terra-cotta glazed brick, while the towers were stucco structures with whimsical sheet metal accents. Green and gold glazed terra-cotta tile accents, geometric detailing, curvilinear massing, stepped forms, and neon lights added additional character and uniqueness to the building's design.[7][10] It is one of the few art deco cafés built in the thirties, and it stands out architecturally from its peers, as most depression-era cafés had simpler and similar wood-frame and clapboard designs.[16]

[edit] Movie fame

Ramone's House of Body Art from the film Cars was inspired by the U-Drop Inn
Ramone's House of Body Art from the film Cars was inspired by the U-Drop Inn

In 1998, The Walt Disney Company and Pixar began work on their seventh joint feature film production, a computer-animated film entitled Cars. Set in a world of anthropomorphic vehicles, the film follows arrogant rookie race car Lightning McQueen as he gets lost along Route 66 while on his way to California and ends up in the town of Radiator Springs. While the fictional town is situated between Gallup, New Mexico and Kingman, Arizona, many of the places shown in the town were directly inspired by real places along Route 66. The Tower Station and U-Drop Inn is one such location, with its unique design and architecture becoming the inspiration for the body shop owned by the character Ramone.[17]


[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Texas Historic Sites Atlas - Tower Station (selected data and text from National Register of Historic Places registration information). Historic Sites Atlas. Texas Historical Commission. Retrieved on 2008-03-29.
  2. ^ a b c Drive 66 (East): Old Route 66 Association of Texas. Mock Turtle Press and Old Route 66 Association of Texas. Retrieved on 2008-03-22.
  3. ^ a b c d Witzel, Michael (2003-04-28). "Chapter 2: Filling Circumstances: Highway Pump and Circumstance", Route 66 Remembered. Osceola, Wisconsin: Motorbooks International, p. 79. ISBN 0-760-31498-5. OCLC 51234105. 
  4. ^ a b "Shamrock celebrates St. Patrick's Day in the Panhandle", Dallas Morning News, 2008-03-04. Retrieved on 2008-03-22. 
  5. ^ a b c Firsching, Jay (2003-10-06). Tower Conoco. OldGas.com. Primarily Petroliana. Retrieved on 2008-03-22.
  6. ^ a b Woolley, Bryan (September 2004). "Mother Road: Route 66 Museum, Cadillac Ranch, Phillips 66", Texas Road Trip: Stories From Across the Great State and a Few Personal Reflections. Fort Worth, Texas: TCU Press, p. 66. ISBN 0-875-65291-3. OCLC 54537067. 
  7. ^ a b c d e Witzel, Russel Olsen (2004-05-01). "Texas", Route 66, Lost & Found: Ruins and Relics Revisited. Osceola, Wisconsin: Motorbooks International, p. 84. ISBN 0-760-31854-9. OCLC 55482301. 
  8. ^ a b Kaszynski, William (2002-05-11). "Section 2", Route 66: Images of America's Main Street. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, p. 79. ISBN 0-786-41553-3. OCLC 51738050. 
  9. ^ Hamilton, Arnold. "Home-cookin' highway -- a heaping sampling", Dallas Morning News, 1992-05-17. Retrieved on 2008-03-27. 
  10. ^ a b c d e f Degrood, Thomas J. (July/August 2005). "Roadside Renewal". Texas Architect 55 (4): pp. 42-43. Texas Society of Architects. 
  11. ^ a b Juozapavicius, Justin (2007-05-02). Route 66 Motels an Endangered Species. ABC News. Retrieved on 2008-03-22.
  12. ^ Rhodes, Andy (2004). "The Mother Road: Nostalgia Drives Visitors to Experience Route 66 in the Texas Panhandle" (pdf). The Medallion March–April 2004: pp. 10–13. Texas Historical Commission. 
  13. ^ Texas - Wheeler County. National Register of Historic Places. Retrieved on 2008-03-22.
  14. ^ Steil, Tim (2002-05-11). "Chapter 10: Hard Times at Home", Fantastic Filling Stations. St. Paul, Minnesota: Motorbooks International, p. 73. ISBN 0-760-31064-5. OCLC 49968065. 
  15. ^ a b c Tower Station and U-Drop Inn (pdf). Architexas. Retrieved on 2008-03-22.
  16. ^ a b Scott, Quinta (December 2001). "The Architecture of Americas Highway: Streamline Moderne, U.S. Highway 66, Route 66", Along Route 66. Osceola, Wisconsin: University of Oklahoma Press, p. 23. ISBN 0-806-13383-X. OCLC 45842985. 
  17. ^ Shamrock Texas U-Drop Inn. Legends of America. Retrieved on 2008-03-22.

[edit] External links