Former Gas Station Closed in the 1970s in AR
Arkansas Marathon Oil Service Station, Fordyce Arkansas
- Categories:
- Arkansas
- Retail
- Service Station

Like many other Arkansas towns, Fordyce grew up around the railroad. With the arrival of the main line Cotton Belt Railroad in 1882, Fordyce turned into a hub of commerce. Although the railroad would remain important, it would soon have a new rival; the automobile.
When the automobile arrived in Fordyce in the early 1900s so did the need for service stations. In circa 1928 the Transcontinental Oil Company built the Marathon Oil Service Station in downtown Fordyce. They chose a prime location just off of Main Street and near the railroad tacks at the corner of East Second and Spring Street. Due to problems with financing, Transcontinental Oil struck a deal with Ohio Oil, a Standard Oil affiliate, to drill wells in West Texas sharing fifty percent of the yield. Ohio Oil used their subsidiary Mid-Kansas Oil and Gas Company to carry out the venture. The venture produced great amounts of oil, but a flaw in the contract had given all production rights to Ohio Oil. This meant that even though Transcontinental was finding oil in large quantities, they had to buy their refined gasoline from their competitors. This strained company resources and by 1930 Transcontinental ceased to exist. The company exchanged all holdings for 1,848,051 shares of Ohio Oil. Ohio Oil also assumed ownership of 376 filling stations using the Marathon name, including the one in Fordyce. The stations continued to operate under the name of Marathon even after the merger.
The station continued to operate under the Marathon name until November 1935, when it was purchased by Lion Oil headquartered in El Dorado, Arkansas. During that time it was ran by Nabb and Newell Barnes. It remained a Lion Oil Station until the late 1970s.
The station remained vacant until 1981, when Paul Williams purchased the building. By 1981 the Marathon Oil Company sign had been painted over and forgotten. However, eventually after some years the paint began to peal revealing the beautiful glass sign in almost perfect condition. The sign is one of the most interesting features of the building.
The building continues to serve the automobile industry. Today the building operates as a garage under the name Paul's Service Center. Mr. Williams plans to continue running his business out of the building and wants to maintain the exterior appearance of the building.
Building Description
The Marathon Oil Service Station (also known as Lion Oil Service Station), located at the southeast corner of E. Second & Spring Streets, was built circa 1928 and is the best extant example of a 1920s gas station in Fordyce, Arkansas. The Plain Traditional service station features a tile roof car canopy that gives the building a hint of Mediterranean influence. The building's close location to the railroad tracks and downtown businesses allowed for easy access to both shoppers and travelers entering the area in automobiles.
Located in downtown Fordyce, Arkansas, the Marathon Oil Service Station is a blend of Plain Traditional and Mediterranean architecture and is unique compared to other automobile-related buildings in the town. The square-shaped service station is constructed of brick and rests upon a continuous concrete foundation. The single-story service station uses a variation of red brick and buff brick to add a decorative element to the building. The buff brick on the facade of the building has been painted red. The building is crowned with a parapet that hides from view the concrete barrel vault roof. The building has a small metal addition off of the back that was constructed at an unknown date.
The building fronts north toward Second Street and is divided into two bays. The first bay contains the office area and is dominated by the tile-roofed car canopy that extends out from the building. The car canopy is supported with a single, centrally located brick column featuring the original glass Marathon Oil sign with the company symbol, the "Marathon Man," located in the gable end of the covering. The facade is fenestrated on the northeast bay by a centrally located entryway that is flanked on each side by a two transom over single pane stationary window.
The northwest bay consists of the garage area and is of relative simplicity. Remarkably the original wood garage doors are still intact. Located to the west of the garage doors is a simple wood door that provides direct access to the garage area.
The west elevation is fenestrated by an eight-pane casement window that is crowned with a two-light transom. The south corner of the elevation sees a transition from the original brick structure to the flat-roofed metal addition.
The majority of the back of the building is consumed by the addition. On the back of the building the brick changes from buff brick to the less decorative red brick. The addition is fenestrated on the east side with a metal garage door. The only fenestration on the back of the original structure is a pair of one-over-one replacement windows.
The southeast corner of the brick structure is fenestrated with an original pair of wood garage doors. Moving north the building is fenestrated with two eight-pane casement windows, each of which is crowned by a two light transom. Originally there was a third window, but it has been removed and has been infilled with plywood. On the far north end is a single pane window crowned with a two light transom. One of the lights have been removed and an air conditioner unit installed.

North elevation (2000)

Original Marathon Oil sign (2000)

Pump supports (2000)

West elevation (2000)
