Landmarks Illinois today placed the John J. Murphy Filling Station, aka Castle Car Wash, on its 2008-2009 Chicagoland Watchlist of endangered historic properties.
Twelve other properties in the Chicago area were listed. It is hoped the publicity will spur efforts to preserve the structures.
The stone, castle-like station, on Route 66 at 3801 W. Odgen Ave. in Chicago, was built about 1925 and was operated by Murphy for more than 40 years, according to Route 66 researcher David G. Clark in his excellent book, “Exploring Route 66 in Chicagoland.” It became an S&B Standard Service and a Gas City during the 1970s, then a Castle Car Wash during the 1980s. It was deemed eligible to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.
Castle Car Wash is owned by a towing company, but is only “nominally” maintained.
Landmarks Illinois had this in its report on the station:
Interested buyers have approached the owner but have received no response. Community organizations have noted the building’s size, location and history are ideal for conversion to a visitors center that would highlight the neighborhood and Route 66. In the meantime, the building continues to deteriorate.
What you can do: Contact 24th Ward Alderman Sharon Denise Dixon and request that she work with interested organizations to preserve and re-use this unique Route 66 property. Her e-mail is Sharon.Dixon@CityofChicago.org
That’s such a great looking old building, and appears to still be in pretty good shape. I hope it can find an appreciative new owner.
The photo is a few years old, and a look at the building now gives an idea of how much more the damage has been done due to benign neglect. However, it is still intact, not in any danger of falling down. It does need an Angel of the Highway!
That’s a pretty cool building.
Don–it is a cool building, and the only vintage gas station still standing on the Ogden Avenue stretch of Route 66 (also US 32 and 34) within the Chicago city limits. Mr. Murphy had competition from two dozen other gas stations during his 45-year career of running this station after building it in 1925; all of the competitior’s buildings are gone or altered beyond recognition. This is the most eye-catching structure left of the auto corridor heritage of this thoroughfare.
We are not sure if the castle facade was original to 1925; construction permits for structural work on the building exist from 1933. Clearly, the castle look certainly dates from the Route 66 era, and it is unique amongst all of the vintage buildings along the route. It is a Chicago treasure, and needs to be recognized as such!
It would be the perfect launching pad for any Route 66 tour, with a specialized book store, memorabilia and knowledgeable staff. As for the building itself, most notably the crenellate went missing since the blog’s photo was taken.