The Tulsa Preservation Commission says the National Park Service will present a Historic Register plaque to the Vickery Phillips 66 service station at Sixth and Elgin streets in Tulsa at 10 a.m. Thursday.
The restoration of this historic landmark has taken place over the last year by Michael Sager with the assistance of a Route 66 Corridor Program Grant. The Vickery Station is now the home of Avis and serves downtown/midtown Tulsa with a new rental car location.
The cottage-style station was built about 1932. Here’s more history about it:
The Vickery Phillips station in Tulsa was originally located within a residential area and its cottage appearance was designed to blend into such areas. Tulsa’s Central High School was located two blocks west. In 1926, Second Street was designated part of U.S. Route 66, and businesses that catered to the traveling public prospered. Phillips purchased the property and operated the station with 5 to 6 employees.
The station was later leased to a variety of individuals who had to agree to use only Phillips 66 products. In 1946, it became Vickery Phillips 66. Virgil Vickery lived in a small apartment less than a block away; an indication of the mom and pop status of the station. This was in spite of the fact that it was actually owned by a large corporation.
The plaque presenter will be Mike Taylor, under the auspices of the NPS’ Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program. The Vickery station also was awarded a cost-share grant from the program last year.