Cedarburg Pagoda by DavidEMartin

Photography • Architecture • posted on Apr 22, 2006

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Description

Pagoda gas stations were a creation of the 1920s US auto boom. These distinctive buildings were a good way to attract curious motorists and a great way to make sure folks returned for another tankfull a few days later. After all, a tank full of gasoline cost a motorist upwards to $2 or $3, so it helped a station operator to have a place to which people wanted to return. There are three of these surviving in the Milwaukee area. One is in a park in West Allis, now a kind of open air museum piece. The second sat for decades neglected on the side of a building just south of Milwaukee's downtown. It has since been relocated and is part of a nightclub, where it looks surprisingly appropriate. Both of these are small structures, basically just a shelter for the station staff and a closet for necessary supplies. This one is four times larger. When I first saw it 20 years ago, it was still acting as a filling station and garage. The front half was the service area, offices, and restrooom. The back half had two garage bays. Sometime in the late 1980, the garage closed and the building was taken over by custom jeweler.