Dan Mizner, chair of the Moline Historic Preservation Commission, says the station opened in 1932. And at that time, Skelly used a popular form of architecture for its gas stations called Tudor Revival.
"Tudor Revival is denoted a lot by a steeply pitched roof and half-timbering showing on the front facade. Of course half-timbering looks like the framework of your house is kind of sticking through the wall."
It operated as a Skelly station until 1958, then was used by a variety of businesses until 2018 when Felix and Mary Vallejo bought it and began restoration.
The application for landmark status says before gas stations, motorists bought gas out of a barrel at hardware or grocery stores. Then as car dealerships opened in downtown Moline, filling stations opened in nearby neighborhoods.
Mizner says the owners have not yet decided what they'll use the building for - landmark status mainly restricts possible changes to the exterior.
