U-Drop Inn

Infobox nrhp map
name = Tower Station
nrhp_type =


caption = The original U-Drop Inn (circa 1936).
^{—Courtesy of the Harris Armstrong Archives, Special Collections, Washington University in Saint Louis}
lat_degrees = 35
lat_minutes = 13
lat_seconds = 41.51
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 100
long_minutes = 14
long_seconds = 56.86
long_direction = W
locmapin = Texas
mapwidth = 260
location = 101 E. 12th Street, Shamrock, Texas
built = 1936
architect = J.C. Berry
architecture = Art Deco
added = September 18, 1997cite web |url=http://atlas.thc.state.tx.us/common/viewform.asp?atlas_num=2097001160&site_name=Tower+Station&class=2001 |title=Texas Historic Sites Atlas - Tower Station (selected data and text from National Register of Historic Places registration information) |work=Historic Sites Atlas |publisher=Texas Historical Commission |accessdate=2008-03-29]
refnum = 97001160
governing_body = City of ShamrockThe 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.

History

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.cite web |url=http://www.mockturtlepress.com/texas/drive66east.html |title=Drive 66 (East): Old Route 66 Association of Texas |publisher=Mock Turtle Press and Old Route 66 Association of Texas |accessdate=2008-03-22 ] 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. 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."cite book |title=Route 66 Remembered |first=Michael |last=Witzel |publisher=Motorbooks International |location=Osceola, Wisconsin |date=2003-04-28 |isbn=0-760-31498-5 |oclc=51234105 |pages=p. 79 |chapter=Chapter 2: Filling Circumstances: Highway Pump and Circumstance |accessdate=2008-03-22 ] In addition to a café, the building housed a gas station that sold Conoco brand fuel and a store.cite news |url=http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/fea/travel/texasneighbors/stories/DN-regnotes_0302tra.ART.State.Edition1.4683d5b.html |title=Shamrock celebrates St. Patrick's Day in the Panhandle |publisher=Dallas Morning News |date=2008-03-04 |accessdate=2008-03-22 ] The store was never actually opened as a store, and became a ballroom and overflow dining area for the café.cite web |url=http://www.oldgas.com/info/towerconoco.html |title=Tower Conoco |first=Jay |last=Firsching |publisher=Primarily Petroliana |work=OldGas.com |date=2003-10-06 |accessdate=2008-03-22 ]

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."cite book |title=Texas Road Trip: Stories From Across the Great State and a Few Personal Reflections |first=Bryan |last=Woolley |publisher=TCU Press |location=Fort Worth, Texas |year=2004 |month=September |isbn=0-875-65291-3 |oclc=54537067 |pages=p. 66 |chapter=Mother Road: Route 66 Museum, Cadillac Ranch, Phillips 66 |accessdate=2008-03-27 ] At the time of opening, the U-Drop was the only café within convert|100|mi|km of Shamrock, enjoying brisk business and becoming a successful establishment.cite book |title=Route 66, Lost & Found: Ruins and Relics Revisited |first=Russel Olsen |last=Witzel |publisher=Motorbooks International |location=Osceola, Wisconsin |date=2004-05-01 |isbn=0-760-31854-9 |oclc=55482301 |pages=p. 84 |chapter=Texas |accessdate=2008-03-27 ] 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.

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. In the 1970s, Fina took over the building, painting it red, white, and blue. 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. In the mid 1990s, the building was repossessed by the bank and closed completely in 1997.cite book |title=Route 66: Images of America's Main Street |first=William |last=Kaszynski |publisher=McFarland |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |date=2002-05-11 |isbn=0-786-41553-3 |oclc=51738050 |pages=p. 79 |chapter=Section 2 |accessdate=2008-03-27 ] Up through its closing, the café at the U-Drop was praised for its low-priced and tasty "home cooking." [cite news |title=Home-cookin' highway -- a heaping sampling |first=Arnold |last=Hamilton |publisher=Dallas Morning News |date=1992-05-17 |accessdate=2008-03-27 ]

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.cite journal |title=Roadside Renewal |first=Thomas J. |last=Degrood |publisher=Texas Society of Architects |journal=Texas Architect |accessdate=2008-03-22 |volume=55 |issue=4 |year=2005 |month=July/August |pages=pp. 42–43] 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.cite web |url=http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3194639&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312 |title=Route 66 Motels an Endangered Species |first=Justin |last=Juozapavicius |publisher=ABC News |date=2007-05-02 |accessdate=2008-03-22 ] 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.

Restoration

Referred to as "one of the most impressive examples" of Route 66 architecture by the Texas Historical Commission, [cite journal |url=http://www.thc.state.tx.us/medallionmag/medallionPDFs/MD03-04.pdf |format=pdf |title=The Mother Road: Nostalgia Drives Visitors to Experience Route 66 in the Texas Panhandle |first=Andy |last=Rhodes |publisher=Texas Historical Commission |journal=The Medallion |accessdate=2008-03-22 |volume=March–April 2004 |year=2004 |pages=pp. 10–13 ] the U-Drop Inn was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.cite web |url=http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/tx/Wheeler/state.html |publisher=National Register of Historic Places |title=Texas - Wheeler County |accessdate=2008-03-22 ] In May 1999, the First National Bank of Shamrock purchased the U-Drop Inn, then gifted it to the city of Shamrock.

The city of Shamrock began taking measures to revive the neglected structure as a tourist attraction. [cite book |title=Fantastic Filling Stations |first=Tim |last=Steil |publisher=Motorbooks International |location=St. Paul, Minnesota |date=2002-05-11 |isbn=0-760-31064-5 |oclc=49968065 |pages=p. 73 |chapter=Chapter 10: Hard Times at Home |accessdate=2008-03-22 ] 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.

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. 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.

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. With $1.7 million in funding by the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, the restoration was completed in July 2003.cite web |url=http://www.architexas.com/pdfs/historic_preservation/tower_station_and_u_drop_inn.pdf |format=pdf |title=Tower Station and U-Drop Inn |publisher=Architexas |accessdate=2008-03-22 ]

Architecture

The original U-Drop Inn was designed by John Nunn and architect J.C. Berry. 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.cite book |title=Along Route 66 |first=Quinta |last=Scott |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |location=Osceola, Wisconsin |year=2001 |month=December |isbn=0-806-13383-X |oclc=45842985 |pages=p. 23 |chapter=The Architecture of Americas Highway: Streamline Moderne, U.S. Highway 66, Route 66 |accessdate=2008-03-27 ] 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. 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.

Movie fame

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. [cite web |url=http://www.legendsofamerica.com/PicturePages/66ShamrockUDropInn-2.html |title=Shamrock Texas U-Drop Inn |publisher=Legends of America |accessdate=2008-03-22 ]

References

External links

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