HomeMy WebLinkAbout424 E Main Register Nomination MONTANA HISTORICAL/ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY #15 b 7 ' O Z S
HISTORIC NAME: Litening Gas
ADDRESS: 424 E. Main
LEGAL BOUNDARY: Rouse's Blk A
Lots 5-9
OWNER'S NAME: Wanda Grauman
OWNER ADDRESS: 3362 windmill Circle
Billings, MT 59102
SPECIFIC DATE: 1939 ,.� •.. . . L,,,.
ARCHITECT: Unknown
BUILDER: Unknown :`:ry , �' Musj.
ORIGINAL OWNER: Delmar White
ORIGINAL USE: Gas Station
PRESENT USE: Muffler Company
UTM REFERENCE: 12/497620/5058175
ACREAGE: less than one
U.S.G.S, QUAD: Bozeman, 1953
STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: - --�-�
Applicable Criteria: C i
Number of Contributing Properties: 1
One of the outstanding examples of Streamline Moderne gas station architecture, the
"Litening Gas" station was built in 1939, which is quite early for the style, and qualifies
for listing in the National Register due to its exceptional architectural significance as a
"one of a kind" design. The building has an unusual wedge--shaped plan such that, when seen
from the street, the curved, porcelainized metal panel facade appears to have no supporting
structure in back. The interior is trimmed with pressed metal, egg-and-dart pattern crown
moldings - a holdover from the 19th and early 20th century. With the exception of the
removal of a dark stripe that spanned the parapet, formed of three rounded projecting
moldings, the building is very well preserved. On the street in front of the station
originally stood Main Street's tallest sign, which read "Litening Gas, " in the form of a
large %" fifty feet high. -
Prior to the constructior} of the Litening Gas station in 1939, this site had been occupied
by a boarding house, owned by Charles Lundwall. The station was built for Delmar S. White,
who leased the business, It was one of the the stations served by the Yale Oil Co.
distributor of Billings. White operated the station until 1947. By the 197O`s, Exxon had
purchased it. The Silent Knight Muffler Co, presently occupies the building.
The Litening Gas Station is the best of only three examples of the Streamline Modern style
in Bozeman, the other two being Main Street commerical blocks. It is the only significant
remaining example in the city of the use of porcelainized metal panel sheathing. The
station, which .is located just east of the Main Street commercial district, is among the
first examples of roadside architecture built in the city, and is the oldest surviving
example. The unusual form, large sign, and advantageous location of the building were all
intended to draw motorists traveling between Bozeman and points east, through Bozeman Pass.
Perhaps most important, the building is an excellent example of early Streamline Moderne
style gas station architecture in a national context, and clearly meets the National
Register criteria exception for less than fifty-year-old buildings.
Litening Gas (cont.)
--
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: _ --
This one-story commercial structure in the "Modern" style has a squared-back, oval-shaped
plan with a symmetrical facade. There is a central entrance and metal, multi-paned, curved
windows span the central bulge. This central bay is flanked by two, multi-light,
overhanging door service bays. Restrooms originally were set in the corner curves of each
side of the front facade. The rear of the building tapers back from the front to create
the illusion of a free standing facade. A large wooden overhanging garage door is set in
the center of the rear elevation. The construction is finished in metal porcelain panels
and stucco over brick in the rear. The foundation is of concrete and the roof is flat,
lying parallel to the street.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
QQU= Ulily Chro icle: December 8, 1978, p. A-8
City Directory: 1942, p. 154
Application for Sewer Connection: Charles Lundwall, Nov. 11, 1907
FORM PREPARED BY: James R. McDonald, P.C. (1983-84) ; Matthew Cohen (1985-86 revision) ;
Patricia Sick (1987 revision) , State Historic Preservation Office, 225 No. Roberts, Helena,
Montana 59620 (406) 444-7715