The mythic Route 66 has always captivated motorists with the outsized and outlandish, a wink
and a one-of-a-kind sign. The “world’s best” and “world’s only” come-ons are conceived to flag you down and all but hit the turn signal for you.
Of the eight U.S. Route 66 states, Oklahoma boasts the most miles of it. And in 2007, this out-of-this-world gas station landed on one pastoral stretch. An ultramodern, 21st century vision of long-ago life in America in Arcadia. Welcome to POPS Route 66.
THE ARCHITECTURE
A SHOW OF STRENGTH THE POWER OF STEEL
The architecture exudes a freewheeling spirit of daring. It’s a striking roadside attraction-apparition that cantilevers to the future, even as it recalls the road’s great steel bridges, along with a past that’s disappearing fast in the rear-view mirror.
THE ROUTE 66 LANDMARK
A 66-FOOT TRIBUTE
The exclamation point is a giant pop bottle and straw that stands 66 feet tall and lights up at night. It completes a rocket ship-and-space station effect.
THE CANTILEVERED CANOPY
A FEAT OF ENGINEERING
The signature 100-ft. cantilever juts forward so mightily, it feels like an outdoor room.
It hovers over the gas pumps to protect travelers from the elements, like a sheltering sky.
A RAINBOW O’ POP
Pop (or “soda,” as it was known in the South) was a big attraction – and an uncanny variety, worthy of its setting. Classics and hard-to-find gems from around the globe.
Capitalizing on the eye-popping colors, bottles line the windows. A kaleidoscopic display.
How did this get here?
It wasn’t NASA nor Elon Musk. The story …
One beloved client of Rand Elliott Architects ordered up a design for the “world’s best gas station.” And on that select stretch of the “Mother Road,” he came to name the place for his dad, the guy he’d always called “Pops.” (Inevitably, his architect, Rand Elliott, had the same meant-to-be name in mind.)
For our client, gas stations had always been a second home. His dad was an OKC-based oil company executive with a fleet of gas stations. Many had dynamic, angular awnings that hovered over the pumps — aggressive, modern forms that suggest energy, acceleration, horsepower – and mid-20th century aspirations.
GLORY DAYS
Celebrating an American tradition
Those stations of course stocked bottles of cold pop, mostly outside for easy access, dispensed from ingenious machines. So, Rand Elliott Architects’ monument to fuel and fizz (and his client’s father) displays a pristine 12,000-bottle rainbow of pop from around the world in the windows.
The restaurant beckons with barstools, booths, and a pastoral patio. Vintage soda machines, clean restrooms and of course, souvenirs are reminders a yesteryear that just feels good to remember. The canopy connects to the building to shield customers from rain, snow and sun.
Sure enough, POPS was named one of “The World’s 10 Best Filling Stations” by DesignCurial/FX magazine, among other accolades and awards from the international architectural, retailing and tourism media.
Which Includes that stellar January INTERIOR DESIGN magazine cover with the “World’s Tallest Pop Bottle” evoking New Year’s bubbly.
(And yes, our client’s mother and father lived to see POPS in all its glory.)
DESIGNCURIAL
International
“The World’s 10 Best Filling Stations for 2016”
#1 – POPS
INTERIOR DESIGN “BEST IN 10”
International
2015 Winner
AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS
Central Oklahoma Chapter
2010 Honor Award
OKLAHOMA CITY FOUNDATION FOR ARCHITECTURE
Oklahoma
OKLAHOMANMADE Architectural Photography Competition
“Inside the Bottle”
Rand Elliott, FAIA
CHICAGO ATHENAEUM
National
2009 American Architecture Award
CHICAGO ATHENAEUM
International
2009 International Architecture Award
INTERIOR DESIGN “BEST OF YEAR”
National
2008 Honor Award in Casual Dining Category
AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS
Central States Region
2008 Honor Award
CONVENIENCE STORE / PETROLEUM
National
2007 Convenience Retailing Award
Most Innovative Store Design
Full Gallery
