A Gulf service station of 1933 faced in glazed terracotta, standing on the old Lincoln Highway in Bedford.
At a glance
Dunkle’s Gulf is one of the Art Deco service stations of the American highway age. It was built in 1933 in Bedford, on the Lincoln Highway. Its walls are faced in glazed terracotta, with bands of coloured ornament across the top and the Gulf name in blue letters. The photographer John Margolies recorded it in 1977 for his survey of roadside architecture, now held by the Library of Congress.
Key facts
- Built: 1933
- Brand: Gulf
- Material: glazed terracotta with Art Deco ornament
- Road: the Lincoln Highway, today US 30
- Recorded: photographed by John Margolies in 1977 (Library of Congress)
- GPS: 40.0185996, -78.5074949 · Open in Google Maps
History
In the 1920s and 1930s oil companies competed along the new highways with buildings meant to be recognised from a moving car. Dunkle’s Gulf belongs to that moment: a small station treated as a piece of architecture, clad in a durable, washable and colourful material. Its present use we have not verified.
What you see
A single-storey block with a taller central bay and a brick chimney, faced in cream terracotta tiles. Bands of blue and yellow ornament run along the parapet, with the words GULFLEX, GULF and REST ROOMS in blue letters. On the left is the open service bay; the pumps stand in front under a separate canopy.
Related
Sources
- Pennsylvania Bucket List, Exploring Dunkle’s Gulf Station on the Lincoln Highway in Bedford: 1933, the Lincoln Highway
- Library of Congress, John Margolies Roadside America photograph archive: Dick Dunkle Gulf, Bedford, Pennsylvania, 1977
- OpenStreetMap: the position of Dunkle’s Gulf Station in Bedford
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