Historical Society acquires Lyons Pure Oil
By Donna Comella

Taken for granted by many, the historic significance of the Lyons Pure Oil gas station was never lost on owner Jim Pacello.

When he built a new Mobil service station on Route 31, he left the Pure Oil building standing on its Route 14 lot and waited for just the right use to become clear to him. He is now donating the building to the Wayne County Historical Society.

The station is on a busily traveled highway in Lyons, on Geneva Street (Route 14 downtown), at the intersection of Canal Street. Plans are that it will be a tourist information center, and will be staffed by volunteers from the Historical Society, the Lyons Chamber of Commerce and the Lyons Quality of Life Committee. Brochures and pamphlets of local attractions will be available to visitors.

In the years prior to World War I, architect Carl A. Petersen designed service stations for the Gulf Oil corporation. Knowing that some residents would resist a service station being constructed in their neighborhoods, Petersen designed a cottage-style station. His employers at Gulf were not interested, so a frustrated Petersen applied for a job at the Pure Oil Company. By October 1925, he headed the design and construction department of Pure Oil.

In early 1927, the first cottage station was built in Indianapolis. Soon, the English-style service stations had been built on thousands of sites. The bright blue tiled roof became a sure sign of Pure Oil. And although they were all the same style, it is believed by experts that there are no two that were identical.

Pure continued to build the cottage stations until just after World War II. Only a handful still exist. Nearby, there is one in Fairport, on the corner of Church and Main, that is occupied by an insurance agency. The Pure Oil station in Saratoga Springs was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, but it is currently vacant.

The station in Lyons was one of 122 present-day roadside stops mentioned in Will Andersen's 1991 book, Mid-Atlantic Roadside Delights. The book featured stand-outs in roadside architecture of yesterday and today. (The book also included the Newark Diner.)

The Wayne County Board of Supervisors has approved a $1,000 transfer of funds so the Historical Society can paint and make a few minor improvements. The Historical Society will be responsible for the building's future operating/maintenance costs.

Andi Evangelist, Executive Director of the Historical Society, says workers will be careful to avoid making any changes that would change the building's historic character. The final step to ownership is waiting for soil test results from the New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation. Evangelist hopes to have the building open for Peppermint Days (July 11-14).

To help with this project, call 946.4943.

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