National Register of Historic Places
Pioneer Oil Company Filling Station
Grinnell, Poweshiek County, Iowa
The record
- Listed
- March 13, 2013
- Type
- Building
- Address
- 831 West St., Grinnell
- County
- Poweshiek
- State
- Iowa
- Contributing resources
- 1 building
- Coordinates
- 41.74440, -92.72768
- Reference number
- 13000070
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The story
Written by AI from this property's National Register nomination and the record above; every sentence is checked against its sources before it appears here. Corrections: privacy@treealive.com
The Pioneer Oil Company Filling Station is a service station at 831 West St. in Grinnell, built in 1931 and expanded in 1937. Its design reflects the Modern Movement and Super-Service Station types.
Why it's listed
It was listed under criteria A and C, with local significance in architecture and commerce, reflecting its period of significance from 1937 to 1962, when the station was expanded and improved.
Physical character
It is a rectangular building, 48 by 37 feet, with Redfield face brick walls on a concrete foundation, hollow-block construction, and a synthetic rubber roof. Inside, the shop retains its overhead doors, a storage unit added along the north wall, and rehabilitated windows; the building underwent a comprehensive rehabilitation in 2011.
Historical context
Pioneer Oil Company opened the station in 1931, with Chet Williams operating it until his death in 1944; it also served as a tire inspection center under wartime rationing, run by M. F. Thompson and C. S. Ramsay. Warner Steele operated it as Superior 400 Oil Company from 1962 to 1970, and Gene McCurry ran McCurry's Cafe alongside Pioneer Oil from 1964 to 1987; major league pitcher Jackie Collum then operated Pioneer Oil Company from about 1987 to 2004.