The historic U-Drop Inn gas station in Shamrock, Texas, will undergo some improvements before tourism season begins, according to a post Monday on its Facebook page.
First, the gift shop has moved to the main area next to the café. This unites the two areas and gives us more room to expand, especially in the “Made in America” & “Made in Texas” items.
Next, we plan to have more displays and kiosks to allow our visitors to interact using touch screens and short videos to see what Shamrock has to offer them, such as our great museum, our downtown area shops, the “Water Tower Plaza”, etc.
We also have a special area set up for the kiddos where we have the movie “Cars” running so they can enjoy that while the adults look around at their leisure.
We also have plans to enhance the café area so folks can sit and enjoy the ambiance of “yesteryear”.
The writer of the post also promises more changes “soon.”
The City of Shamrock a few weeks ago swapped out the station’s hail-destroyed architectural neon tubing for LED lighting.
The U-Drop Inn, aka Tower Station, was built on Route 66 in 1936 by J. M. Tindall and R. C. Lewis at the cost of $23,000. About a decade ago, the city used a Federal Transportation Enhancements grant and local fundraising to restore the building. The U-Drop Inn served as a direct inspiration to Ramone’s body shop in the 2006 animated movie “Cars.”
(Image of the U-Drop Inn in Shamrock, Texas, by Drriss & Marrionn via Flickr)