Prescott's Googie Gas Station

Prescott is  home to an iconic example of a futuristic 1960's architectural style now known as "Googie."  The Googie gas station is perched alongside old US 89 on the southwest corner of the White Spar Highway and Copper Basin Road intersection. (Typical features of Googie architecture included upswept roofs, curvaceous, geometric shapes, and bold use of glass, steel and neon.)

We queried members of the  "Celebrating Prescott History" (CPH) Facebook Group and received many interesting comments. Here's what we've learned so far.

The late 1950's, early 1960's removal of a natural hillside at the location appears to have been controversial among the local citizenry as it may have been one of the first such such hillside alterations in community history. In recent years, alternation of hillsides has become commonplace in the Prescott vicinity.

The Googie-style building with its two upswept wings soaring over the gas pumps is said by CPH  Member Stephen H. to have been designed by Prescott architect George Myers.   Prescott has always highly valued classic 19th Century architectural styles.  The community is known for its many Victorian and Territorial architectural examples.  We surmise the construction of this Googie-style gas station generated a fair share of community angst and "commentary."

One comment from CPH Member Kim K. said, "I thought that it was a travesty when it was built."  Architect Myers may have embraced the controversy that apparently swirled about his design.  Myers designed the controversial St. Timothy's Catholic Church in Mesa, Arizona. Myers is quoted in the December 19, 1982, edition of "The Arizona Republic" saying, "There's always 1 percent who can't accept change," he said. "I think anything worthwhile is controversial."

The gas station started business as a Phillips 66 affiliate and, according to CPH Member Jake B. may have been operated by Merle Kloefkorn. An auto repair garage was apparently part of the station in the 1960's. CHP Member David G. said, "I spent many an evening there when I was a teenager."

As of April 2018, business is operated by Woody's Food Stores as a combination gas and convenience market.

The structure and business is almost certainly the only remaining Googie building that has operated continuously as a gas station from its 1960's construction to the present day alongside US 89 from Mexico to Canada.  As US 89 Highway Heritage Tourism grows, this excellent artifact of the Googie Era is bound to be an  ever more popular stop.  Chances are very good that the building now qualifies for The National Register of Historic Places.  It will be interesting to see if officials from Woody's Food Stores are interested in pursuing Nat'l Register status for the building.

We wish to extend our sincere Thanks & Appreciation to the many enthusiastic members of the "Celebrating Prescott History" Facebook Group who provided their gracious commentary and various insights.  Our Facebook  "stats" show the post we shared on the "Celebrating Prescott History" group has reached over 2,000 people as of mid-Sunday (08APR18).

We will continue to attempt to determine more details about the design, construction and operation of the business.  We will also contact Woody's Food Stores to suggest they investigate getting the building listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  In closing this post, we'd like to share Prescott Artist Kuki Hargrave's excellent interpretation of this iconic Googie gas station.  We wrote a short  piece of "highway fiction" to accompany Kuki's fine art.  It is below the artwork.

"A driver has just powered his early Corvette through The White Spar Highway's 175 curves, He sits contented on the curb contemplating the powerful rush of machine through the chaparral-studded, undulating granite hills south of historic Prescott, Arizona, along old US 89."

(Art Copyright 2018 by Kuki Hargrave, All Rights Reserved. Used here with permission.)