West End Service Station in Edwardsville reopens as a museum and interpretive center

The West End Service Station in Edwardsville, Illinois, reopened Friday as a Route 66-themed museum and interpretive center.

The former gas station at 620 West St. (aka Route 66) hosted a ceremonial ribbon cutting that day. It received a $460,000 state grant a year ago to rehabilitate the site.

It will be open for visitors from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

The Great Rivers & Routes tourism bureau, which played a significant role in the station’s rebirth, posted a few photos from Friday’s ceremonies:

More from the City of Edwardsville:

The Edwardsville Intelligencer reported some details from the ceremony:

After a rendetion of the song, “Route 66” by Craig Becker with Butch Moore playing guitar, Mayor Art Risavy, alderman SJ Morrison and Great Rivers and Routes President and CEO Cory Jobe delivered remarks. […]

Risavy used a lot of related puns as he thanked a variety of project stakeholders, from being “pumped” about the renovated site to referring to Jobe as the plan’s “fuel” with Morrison as the project’s “spark plug.”

He said the building required more than a tune-up; it got a full-service overhaul.

Jobe referred to this as “saving a piece of history for future generations to enjoy.” 

The location offers a small gift shop, a restroom, two replica Texaco gas pumps outside and roll-up doors along with factoids about the site and others along Route 66. There used to be more than a dozen of these types of stations in Edwardsville; this is the sole remaining Route 66 station within 60 miles. 

The reopening event was a part of Route 66-related activities in Edwardsville all weekend, including its Route 66 Festival.

According to Route66Chick.com, the station initially was established by Henry Springer Jr. as a Texaco in 1927 — one year after U.S. 66 was federally certified.

In the late 1930s, the gas station was rebuilt and turned into a Mobil while Route 66 was undergoing reconstruction, as well.

(Image of the rehabbed West End Service Station in Edwardsville via Great Rivers & Routes)