U-Drop Inn
Encyclopedia
The 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 was designed by J.C. Berry. An unusual example of art deco
architecture
applied to a gas station and restaurant, the building features two flared towers with geometric detailing, curvilinear massing, glazed ceramic tile walls, and neon light accents. It has traditionally held two separate business: "Tower Station", a gas station on the western side, and the "U-Drop Inn", a café on the eastern side. Though it has passed hands several times in its history, the building has consistently housed the same types of businesses it was originally constructed for.
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. After it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in September 1997, the building 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.
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". In addition to a café, the building housed a gas station that sold Conoco brand fuel and a store. The store was never actually opened as a store, and became a ballroom and overflow dining area for the café.
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". At the time of opening, the U-Drop was the only café within 100 miles (160.9 km) of Shamrock, enjoying brisk business and becoming a successful establishment. 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.
took over the building, painting it red, white, and blue. In the early 1980s, James R. Tindall, Sr. purchased the building, the construction of which 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. Up through its closing, the café at the U-Drop was praised for its low-priced and tasty "home cooking".
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. 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. 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.
on September 18, 1997. 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. 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.
style. Art Deco was most commonly seen in large commercial and public buildings, so its use in a gas station and roadside restaurant was a rare sight. The U-Drop is one of the few Art Deco cafés built in the 1930s, and it stands out architecturally from its peers, as most depression-era cafés had simpler and similar wood-frame and clapboard designs or followed the Streamline Moderne
offshoot of Art Deco.
The original building was designed by John Nunn and architect J.C. Berry. The 1-story concrete and brick building has a modified rectangular layout with a flat roof. It 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. The main buildings were built of structural clay tile with terra-cotta glazed brick. The two towers are clad in stucco
with decorative green and gold glazed terra-cotta tiles and cast concrete stepped forms. Designed to attract the attention of the passing motorists, the towers also feature geometric detailing, curvilinear massing, and are outlined with neon
lighting added additional character and uniqueness to the building's design.
Historically, the U-Drop Inn held two separate businesses which shared a single interior wall. The western side, commonly called "Tower Station" "is dominated by a large four-sided obelisk
rising from the flat roof and topped by a metal 'tulip'." The tower displayed the station name, Conoco, in all capital letters on each side, with neon lightening on the corners. Vertical-rubbed detailing goes along the base of both towers, as well as two canopies that extend south and west from the western tower. The posts of the canopies were originally encased in decorative glazed tile and vintage metal signs. Between the canopy posts are fuel islands designed to hold three fuel pumps each. 1960s-vintage pumps are currently situated on the islands, with three on the western canopy and two on the southern. A chamfer
ed corner separates the two canopies. Multiple-pane windows surround the glass doors of the office station, as well as dominating much of the southern side of the building. Situated between the office and the café are two service station bays with roll-up style overhead doors.
The eastern side of the building, commonly called the "U-Drop Inn cafe" has a similarly designed, three-sided, shorter version of the main tower. Mirroring the "Conoco" wording, it has "Cafe" written in the same green paint with drop shadow
ed lettering, and a small ornamental metal sphere perched at its top. Just below the tower, an outstretched metal and wooden sign, added in 1950, displays the name of the building and points towards the recessed entrance. This side mirrors the tiled detail found in the station side, and once had a neon "starburst" around the sign and entryway. Inside the café, the eastern and southern interior walls are lined with booths. The northern wall holds two small restrooms, with the kitchen once located in the northeastern corner. On the southern wall, a recessed doorway flanked by large single-paned windows led into the café's main dining room. The building's exterior is pained beige with dark green accents. On the northern facade, the original brick remains unpainted.
and Pixar
computer-animated film Cars
is set in a fictional town called Radiator Springs. Many of the buildings and structures used in the town were based on real places along Route 66, with the Tower Station and U-Drop Inn's unique design and architecture becoming the inspiration for the body shop owned by the character Ramone.
Shamrock, Texas
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 2,029 people, 852 households, and 550 families residing in the city. The population density was 979.7 people per square mile . There were 1,072 housing units at an average density of 517.6 per square mile...
along the historic Route 66
U.S. Route 66
U.S. Route 66 was a highway within the U.S. Highway System. One of the original U.S. highways, Route 66 was established on November 11, 1926 -- with road signs erected the following year...
highway. Inspired by the image of a nail stuck in dirt, the building was designed by J.C. Berry. An unusual example of art deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
applied to a gas station and restaurant, the building features two flared towers with geometric detailing, curvilinear massing, glazed ceramic tile walls, and neon light accents. It has traditionally held two separate business: "Tower Station", a gas station on the western side, and the "U-Drop Inn", a café on the eastern side. Though it has passed hands several times in its history, the building has consistently housed the same types of businesses it was originally constructed for.
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. After it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in September 1997, the building was purchased by the First National Bank of Shamrock, which then gifted it to the city. Primarily funded by a $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
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
Cars (film)
Cars is a 2006 American animated family film produced by Pixar and directed by John Lasseter and co-directed by Joe Ranft. It is the seventh Disney·Pixar feature film, and Pixar's final, independently-produced motion picture before its purchase by Disney...
as the inspiration for the fictional Ramone's body shop.
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. Tindall had PampaPampa, Texas
Pampa is a city in Gray County, Texas, United States. The population was 17,887 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Gray County.Pampa is the principal city of the Pampa Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Gray and Roberts counties....
architect J.C. Berry draw up the blueprints for the art deco structure, and construction began at the busy intersection of Route 66
U.S. Route 66
U.S. Route 66 was a highway within the U.S. Highway System. One of the original U.S. highways, Route 66 was established on November 11, 1926 -- with road signs erected the following year...
and U.S. Route 83
U.S. Route 83
U.S. Route 83 is one of the longest north–south U.S. Highways in the United States, at . Only four other north–south routes are longer: U.S. Routes 1, 41, 59 and 87. The highway's northern terminus is north of Westhope, North Dakota, at the Canadian border, where it continues as...
. 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". In addition to a café, the building housed a gas station that sold Conoco brand fuel and a store. The store was never actually opened as a store, and became a ballroom and overflow dining area for the café.
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". At the time of opening, the U-Drop was the only café within 100 miles (160.9 km) of Shamrock, enjoying brisk business and becoming a successful establishment. 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
Greyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines, Inc., based in Dallas, Texas, is an intercity common carrier of passengers by bus serving over 3,700 destinations in the United States, Canada and Mexico, operating under the well-known logo of a leaping greyhound. It was founded in Hibbing, Minnesota, USA, in 1914 and...
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, FinaPetrofina
Petrofina was a Belgian oil company which merged with Total in 1999 to form TotalFina, but the name has now been changed back to Total after another merger...
took over the building, painting it red, white, and blue. In the early 1980s, James R. Tindall, Sr. purchased the building, the construction of which 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. Up through its closing, the café at the U-Drop was praised for its low-priced and tasty "home cooking".
In 1956, with signing of the Interstate Highway Act, Route 66
U.S. Route 66
U.S. Route 66 was a highway within the U.S. Highway System. One of the original U.S. highways, Route 66 was established on November 11, 1926 -- with road signs erected the following year...
fell into decline, with segments being bypassed via turnpikes and newer highways. With the opening of Interstate 40
Interstate 40
Interstate 40 is the third-longest major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90 and I-80. Its western end is at Interstate 15 in Barstow, California; its eastern end is at a concurrency of U.S. Route 117 and North Carolina Highway 132 in Wilmington, North Carolina...
, Shamrock became one of the bypassed towns and the U-Drop Inn, which once served thousands of travelers fell into disrepair due to neglect. In 1984, Route 66 was decommissioned by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
AASHTO, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, is a standards setting body which publishes specifications, test protocols and guidelines which are used in highway design and construction throughout the United States...
, seeming to seal the fate of the town and the U-Drop Inn. 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, the U-Drop Inn was added to the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on September 18, 1997. 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. In 2000, the city hired Phillips Swager Associates of Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
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 $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
1.7 million in funding by the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century
Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century
The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century was enacted June 9, 1998, as Public Law 105-178. TEA-21 authorized the Federal surface transportation programs for highways, highway safety, and transit for the 6-year period 1998-2003...
, the restoration was completed in July 2003.
Architecture
With its glazed brick, "zigzag" motif, strong vertical elements, and the decorative structure, particularly the metal "tulip", the building is considered to be an excellent example of the Art DecoArt Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
style. Art Deco was most commonly seen in large commercial and public buildings, so its use in a gas station and roadside restaurant was a rare sight. The U-Drop is one of the few Art Deco cafés built in the 1930s, and it stands out architecturally from its peers, as most depression-era cafés had simpler and similar wood-frame and clapboard designs or followed the Streamline Moderne
Streamline Moderne
Streamline Moderne, sometimes referred to by either name alone or as Art Moderne, was a late type of the Art Deco design style which emerged during the 1930s...
offshoot of Art Deco.
The original building was designed by John Nunn and architect J.C. Berry. The 1-story concrete and brick building has a modified rectangular layout with a flat roof. It 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. The main buildings were built of structural clay tile with terra-cotta glazed brick. The two towers are clad in stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
with decorative green and gold glazed terra-cotta tiles and cast concrete stepped forms. Designed to attract the attention of the passing motorists, the towers also feature geometric detailing, curvilinear massing, and are outlined with neon
Neon
Neon is the chemical element that has the symbol Ne and an atomic number of 10. Although a very common element in the universe, it is rare on Earth. A colorless, inert noble gas under standard conditions, neon gives a distinct reddish-orange glow when used in either low-voltage neon glow lamps or...
lighting added additional character and uniqueness to the building's design.
Historically, the U-Drop Inn held two separate businesses which shared a single interior wall. The western side, commonly called "Tower Station" "is dominated by a large four-sided obelisk
Obelisk
An obelisk is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top, and is said to resemble a petrified ray of the sun-disk. A pair of obelisks usually stood in front of a pylon...
rising from the flat roof and topped by a metal 'tulip'." The tower displayed the station name, Conoco, in all capital letters on each side, with neon lightening on the corners. Vertical-rubbed detailing goes along the base of both towers, as well as two canopies that extend south and west from the western tower. The posts of the canopies were originally encased in decorative glazed tile and vintage metal signs. Between the canopy posts are fuel islands designed to hold three fuel pumps each. 1960s-vintage pumps are currently situated on the islands, with three on the western canopy and two on the southern. A chamfer
Chamfer
A chamfer is a beveled edge connecting two surfaces. If the surfaces are at right angles, the chamfer will typically be symmetrical at 45 degrees. A fillet is the rounding off of an interior corner. A rounding of an exterior corner is called a "round" or a "radius"."Chamfer" is a term commonly...
ed corner separates the two canopies. Multiple-pane windows surround the glass doors of the office station, as well as dominating much of the southern side of the building. Situated between the office and the café are two service station bays with roll-up style overhead doors.
The eastern side of the building, commonly called the "U-Drop Inn cafe" has a similarly designed, three-sided, shorter version of the main tower. Mirroring the "Conoco" wording, it has "Cafe" written in the same green paint with drop shadow
Drop shadow
In computer graphics, a drop shadow is a visual effect consisting of drawing that looks like the shadow of an object, giving the impression that the object is raised above the objects behind it. The drop shadow is often used for elements of a graphical user interface such as windows or menus, and...
ed lettering, and a small ornamental metal sphere perched at its top. Just below the tower, an outstretched metal and wooden sign, added in 1950, displays the name of the building and points towards the recessed entrance. This side mirrors the tiled detail found in the station side, and once had a neon "starburst" around the sign and entryway. Inside the café, the eastern and southern interior walls are lined with booths. The northern wall holds two small restrooms, with the kitchen once located in the northeastern corner. On the southern wall, a recessed doorway flanked by large single-paned windows led into the café's main dining room. The building's exterior is pained beige with dark green accents. On the northern facade, the original brick remains unpainted.
Appearance in Cars
The 2006 The Walt Disney CompanyThe Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
and Pixar
Pixar
Pixar Animation Studios, pronounced , is an American computer animation film studio based in Emeryville, California. The studio has earned 26 Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes, and three Grammy Awards, among many other awards and acknowledgments. Its films have made over $6.3 billion worldwide...
computer-animated film Cars
Cars (film)
Cars is a 2006 American animated family film produced by Pixar and directed by John Lasseter and co-directed by Joe Ranft. It is the seventh Disney·Pixar feature film, and Pixar's final, independently-produced motion picture before its purchase by Disney...
is set in a fictional town called Radiator Springs. Many of the buildings and structures used in the town were based on real places along Route 66, with the Tower Station and U-Drop Inn's unique design and architecture becoming the inspiration for the body shop owned by the character Ramone.