Is This the Most Beautiful Gas Station in the World?

When we go get gas today, the design of the station probably isn’t forefront in mind. It’s more likely to be the price of the gas or the friendliness of the staff or the route to work that we’re actually thinking about. But, there are some gas stations that are actually quite beautiful. In particular, the old gas stations from 1940 and before were often quite nice, with unusual details you’d never see today. There is such a gas station in Texas that’s very small, but preserved in time from 1919.

Built just after the end of World War I this tiny gas station was no huge service station. Unlike larger facilities, this one was not suited to change tires or make big repairs. The tiny home of the gas station world, this station would have been too small for much inside- at least on the street level. It is reported to have a basement underneath.

Located in the Manhattan Heights district of El Paso this small octagonal building was once a Texaco station. It was restored meticulously by antiques dealer Rod Davenport, who purchased it in 2007, and did the restorations himself. The bricks are painted white and accentuated with pops of Kelly green. This is the backdrop for the intense red reproduction Fire Chief and Texaco pumps that Davenport installed, evoking a color combination that was iconic to the Texaco brand for many decades.

Old Google maps photos from 2007 show the building was white with blue accents at the time just before Davenport purchased the gas station.

Though the pumps were non-working, Davenport felt a special connection to gas stations since his father opened one in the 1930s. The building also features matching green roof tiles in the Spanish style and a tiny cupola with arched windows and matching green corbels where it joins the roof.

According to locals for a time the station was the home of a Radio & TV Hospital repair shop, as well as at one point being a key-cutting kiosk and a photo developing drop-off. It was also an ice cream shop, too.

When Davenport passed away in 2019, his family donated the tiny restored gas station to the El Paso Country Historical Society. These photos are from 2014 when Davenport was still caring for the property.

While the station was in good condition when it was donated, reports from visitors claim that the building no longer has the round, vintage-style gas pumps and has sustained damage to the windows. The El Paso County Historical Society also said that the station has sustained some graffiti as well, which it is going to clean up.

The station is now part of a tiny city park called Portland Park and has sustained more damage in the years since. Hopefully this beautiful building can be preserved well into the future! We would love to see it return to its former glory.