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Philip Spiess
Just down the street from Clifton's Skyline Chili Parlor there is (or was -- is it still there?) the Sohio Gasoline Station (southwest corner of Clifton and Howell Avenues). It is what we call, in the "historic preservation trade," an example of "commercial archeology" (a.k.a. "roadside architecture"). This little gem of a gas station, designed in the "English cottage style" ("Anne Hathaway" -- though this way ain't it!) in 1930, was the inspiration of the president of Standard Oil of Ohio (i.e., "Sohio"), who at the time was trying to establish the company as a top retailer of gasoline throughout the state (despite the fact that the Rockefellers of Standard Oil came from Cleveland), and who thought that having on outstanding building, an American flag, and an updated uniform for attendants (yes, gasoline service station attendants wore their products' uniforms well into the mid-1950s) would be a great first step in creating a favorable public image. The architect of the station was Roy Heaton, who was recruited by Sohio's president from a group that designed religious structures. Evidently Heaton was a freelance designer, and there is some question as to whether he was a registered architect. Nevertheless, the building is a charming example of "commercial archeology" (unless it's disappeared or been severely altered -- I haven't been by it in years), and particularly noteworthy are its features of the appearance of a thatched roof and its nameplate, "SOHIO," let into the gable-ends of the station in pierced woodwork (again, if this hasn't been altered).
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