Pure Oil Gas Station
Why it's listed
This small brick gas station was built in 1933 at 522 Broadway in Saratoga Springs and moved in 1978 to 65 Spring Street. Measuring 34 by 27 feet, it has an office block with a steep gabled roof, end chimneys, a bay window and a hooded entrance, plus a rear wing and a one-stall garage. Materials include solid brick walls, a tile roof in the company's "Pure Oil Blue," copper gutters and hood, and wrought iron brackets. The Pure Oil Company designed the "English Cottage" style to make gasoline sales acceptable in residential neighborhoods and to suggest a high-quality product. The building is described as the last remaining example of its type in Saratoga County. Its original neighborhood was lost to demolition and commercial conversion, and the site was slated for a convention center. A 1977 agreement made relocation the only preservation option, and the station now sits among large Victorian homes similar to its first surroundings. The form also notes the company's origins as an independent rival to Standard Oil.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it the last remaining example of its type in Saratoga County and an excellent, well-preserved example of a service station designed to project a company's image in residential neighborhoods. It also ties the building to the Pure Oil Company, formed by independent producers to challenge Standard Oil. The move was the only preservation option under a 1977 agreement because the original site was slated for a convention center.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 78001905, listed October 18, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 65 Spring St., Saratoga Springs |
|---|---|
| County | Saratoga County |
| Listed | October 18, 1978 |
| Reference number | 78001905 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1933 |
| Architectural style | "English Cottage" (eclectic tradition, as named by the Pure Oil Company) |
| Areas of significance | Transportation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Marked vacant on the form; condition listed as good and altered (moved in 1978 onto a new full basement). |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | East Side Historic District |
| Coordinates | 43.07933, -73.78209 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 78001905.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7261118
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.