The historic John Osterman Gas Station in Peach Springs, Arizona, is undergoing extensive repairs after a 2021 windstorm, thanks in part to a $45,000 grant from the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona.
According to a recent newsletter from the association, it awarded the grant to the Hualapai Tribe, which owns the station, to assist with stabilization and architectural costs on the Route 66 site.
“They’ve been furiously working on replacing walls and the roof and are on a very good pace,” the newsletter stated.
The project also received support from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Arizona State Historic Preservation Office and Local First.
Several Route 66 travelers in recent weeks have noted a flurry of construction activity around the site.
Last year, the Osterman Gas Station was listed on America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.
“Fortunately, it looks like 2024 will be much kinder to this architectural gem,” the newsletter stated.
Varying sources date the station’s completion in the late 1920s to the early 1930s. It was built from a Sears & Roebuck kit. Route 66 researcher Quinta Scott said the station was built by John Osterman’s brother, Oscar. It’s been closed for decades.
The Osterman Station was designated to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.
A tribal official, Sherry Parker, passed along vivid memories of the station to Arizona Highways:
“I remember the smell — it was like oil. … When I was maybe 11 or 12, we used to go in there. They would sell candy and soda, and there were people working on tires and doing mechanic stuff. And I remember the cigarette machines that were there — back when cigarettes were 25 cents a pack. But I’ll always remember that smell.” […]
Ideas for reviving the building have included making it a museum or again using it as a gas station and repair shop, but Parker hopes to see the station’s exterior restored and its interior turned into a place for tribal members to sell their pottery, jewelry and other crafts.
(Image of the Osterman Gas Station in Peach Springs, Arizona, courtesy of the Hualapai Tribe)
This is great news. I’ve been worried about that structure for many years.