Haysville's Vickers Petroleum Service Station

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Vickers Petroleum, founded by Jack A. Vickers, Sr. in 1918, steadily rose in prosperity until its sale to Swift & Company in the late 1960s. The company became known for its innovation, not only in oil technology but also in building and construction. By 1954, Vickers’s son Jack A. Vickers, Jr. was the president of the company and set out to build transformative and modern service stations after amassing a large fortune for the company.

Located at 140 N. Main Street, the Vickers Station was built in 1954 and is the first station in the U.S. to feature the unique 'batwing' design. The batwing concept was developed by architect John M. Hickman, who apprenticed under Frank Lloyd Wright at the University of Illinois. Hickman also designed downtown Wichita's Century II Performing Arts and Convention Center, and Wichita State University's Ablah Library.

After a devastating tornado in 1999, Vickers Station was one of the few structures on the east side of Main Street left intact, motivating the community to restore and preserve the building. In 2007, the station was turned into office space. In 2009, after a six month restoration by the Haysville Street Rod Association, four Bowser gas pumps were installed outside the station. Today, the building is home to the City of Haysville's Economic Development Office.  Vickers remains a popular destination for show car enthusiasts, motorcycle riding clubs, and senior portrait photographers, all of whom appreciate the nostalgic feeling the Station inspires.

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Haysville's iconic Vickers Petroleum Service Station was added to the Register of Kansas Historic Places in August 2019. In October 2019, it was listed by the National Park Service on the National Register of Historic Places as well. The Vickers Station is in a Register sub-category called Roadside Kansas; a genre that includes "automobile service stations, car dealerships, drive-in restaurants, roadside attractions, and other businesses that serve the motoring public."  To view nomination paperwork, click here.