The Shell Oil Station that looks like a Clamshell

Corporations will do a lot to make their mark in the world with their branding. The easiest way of doing this is by having your business premises memorable and unique. When we look at an IKEA building, we recognise the solid blue colour and modern architecture while others like McDonald's like to vary with their premises; however, keep a distinct feel of the brand. These are examples on the ordinary side of the spectrum; however, some companies prefer to take things a little bit further and give us the wow factor with their branding. Shell is one of those companies.

The Clamshell

The clamshell logo is well-known worldwide, and North Carolina is home to the sole remaining Shell Oil clamshell station in the United States. Unfortunately, the station remains abandoned on the quiet junction of Sprague and Peachtree Streets, its two tall pumps now nothing more than curiosities. Quality Oil, a local Shell distributor, constructed seven stations in Winston-Salem and one in Kernersville in the 1930s. The clamshells were erected as ads by Joe Glenn and Bert Bennett, who had obtained the distribution.

The clamshell stations symbolised a brand's development into a structure, a practical and memorable marketing tactic. The current Shell emblem had gone through numerous iterations by the time Raymond Loewy developed it in 1971. Although the mussel shell was the original brand for the London-based Shell Transport and Trading Company in 1901, the scallop shell was introduced in 1904 – possibly inspired by the family coat of arms of the company's founder Marcus Samuel, whose company would merge with Royal Dutch Petroleum Company to form Royal Dutch-Shell Oil.

The Stations History

Shell-shaped gas stations were not easy to create. The office and bathroom were encased in a box, encircled by a bentwood and wireframe, and then stuccoed. This last station stayed operating until the 1950s, and in the 1970s and 1980s, it housed a lawn mower repair shop. It was the first individual station in the United States to be added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

Inside, framed newspaper stories about the opening and a clamshell station calendar hang on the walls. A teddy bear, old Shell signs, a coffee mug, miscellaneous antique cans, and a tin of vintage Monkey Grip Patch are among the items on the shelves, which also include a teddy bear, old Shell signs, a coffee mug, miscellaneous antique cans, and a tin of vintage Monkey Grip Patch. A picture of the station has been left open in a coffee table book. An ancient red container sits in one corner.

The station now serves as an iconic landmark. With the rise of interest in historic business memorabilia, coca-cola is a notorious one; it comes as no surprise why this station serves as an essential part of its history. With its quirky, iconic feel and humorous connotations, I think it gives the company a good light despite the business it operates in. If you're an oil typhoon like Shell, any good publicity is welcome with open arms. It's a shame that we don't see more of the clamshell more. Getting fuel would be a more entertaining job

I hope that we see other companies create more eye-catching, unique structures in the future. As technology evolves, who knows what corporations will decide to do. Are we heading towards a future with abstract structures and eye-catching designs or a more clean, modern feel – a more artistically pleasing approach? Whatever it is, I am bound to do all that I can do to visit it. I wonder what other weird business landmarks I will encounter in the future.

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