In September 1929, a devastating fire destroyed the three-story building that occupied this corner lot since 1899. The building’s owners, A.C. Wolke and Frank Faust, seized opportunity from the ashes. After building the Roxy Theater, they entered into a long-term contract with Texaco and began construction of this small service station. Designed to harmonize with the neighboring Spanish eclectic style theater, the single-story stucco building has a hipped roof, tiled with faux clay tiles. A prominent porte-cochere, or covered entrance, protected the fueling area (It was enclosed in the early 1980s). The section covered with a shed roof was originally part of the garage. The service station boasted “a well-furnished ladies restroom” and a “wash and grease building…equipped with a hydraulic lift.” It benefitted from the growing number of long-distance travelers passing through Forsyth on U.S. Highway 10, which ran down Main Street until 1950. Even after Highway 10 relocated to Front Street, the service station continued to operate. It remained open and affiliated with Texaco until the early 1980s.
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