Resting in the tiny town of Alanreed, Texas, Bradley Kiser's 66 Super Service Station is perhaps one of the most overlooked old-road treasures on all of Route 66. This early-1930s classic brick building—with its psuedo-tile Spanish-style roof—was targeted for restoration by members of the Old Route 66 Association of Texas in the spring of 2002.
During the first stages of restoration work, loose facings were secured and patches of rough roof were mended. Broken windows were replaced, and attention was given to the property's trees. For purposes of visitor safety, the entrance to the nearby abandoned Ball Drugstore was sealed.
Bradley Kiser's old building was subsequently repainted. A period oil pump was located in McLean's city dump and installed. Classic petrol pumps from a defunct Diamond Shamrock station were acquired to fill in for the Super Service Station's long-lost Texaco pumps. Texaco decals were bought from a Dallas company and placed on the station's windows.
"We got things from everywhere," says preservationist Delbert Trew. "I still plan to build a tin fence on the property and paint it with old service station advertisements. 'Flats Fixed!' 'Oil Changed!' That sort of thing."
Photo © 2002 by Mock Turtle Press. All rights reserved.