HISTORIC CONTEXT FOR EVALUATION OF COMMERCIAL ROADSIDE ARCHITECTURE By Elizabeth Rosin and Martha H. Bowers THE CULTURAL RESOURCE GROUP LOUIS BERGER & ASSOCIATES, INC. East Orange, New Jersey 1992 Originally Published in Delaware Department of Transportation Archaeology Series No. 99 Cultural Resource Survey of U.S. Route 113 Milford-Georgetown, Sussex County, Delaware Delaware U.S. Department of Transportation Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION ............................................................ 1 CONCEPT: AUTO-INFLUENCED COMMERCIAL ROADSIDE ARCHITECTURE OF DELAWARE’S LOWER PENINSULA/CYPRESS SWAMP ....... 2 TIME PERIOD: 1880-1940 .................................................. 2 GEOGRAPHIC AREA ..................................................... 2 HISTORIC THEMES ...................................................... 2 1. Increased Mobility .................................................... 2 2. Development of the State Road System.................................... 4 3. Commercial Development.............................................. 8 A. Auto Support Facilities ............................................. 9 Service Stations and Auto Parts Stores................................ 9 Auto Showrooms................................................. 9 Bus Stations.................................................... 10 B. Eating Establishments............................................. 11 Tea Rooms..................................................... 11 Diners......................................................... 11 Family Restaurants .............................................. 11 Fast-Food Chains ................................................ 12 Drive-In Restaurants ............................................. 12 C. Lodging ........................................................ 13 Tourist Camps .................................................. 13 Tourist Cabins and Cabin Courts.................................... 14 Motels ........................................................ 15 D. Other.......................................................... 16 Roadside Stands................................................. 16 Miniature Golf Courses........................................... 17 Drive-In Movie Theaters.......................................... 17 4. Changing Design Aesthetic............................................ 18 A. Auto Support Facilities ............................................ 19 Service Stations and Auto Parts Stores............................... 19 Auto Showrooms................................................ 20 Bus Stations.................................................... 21 B. Lodging ........................................................ 22 C. Eating Establishments............................................. 22 PROPERTY TYPES ...................................................... 23 1. Auto Support Facilities ............................................... 23 2. Eating Establishments ................................................ 23 i CONTENTS (continued) Page 3. Lodging ........................................................... 23 4. Other ............................................................. 23 DISTRIBUTION OF PROPERTY TYPES..................................... 23 EVALUATION CRITERIA ................................................ 24 Determination of Integrity............................................... 25 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................ 26 RESEARCH ISSUES ..................................................... 31 GOALS ................................................................ 31 REVIEW AND UPDATE .................................................. 32 RECENT PRESERVATION ACTIVITY...................................... 33 CONCEPT: AUTO-INFLUENCED COMMERCIAL ROADSIDE ARCHITECTURE OF DELAWARE’S PIEDMONT ............................... 34 TIME PERIOD: 1880-1940 ................................................. 34 GEOGRAPHIC AREA .................................................... 34 HISTORIC THEMES ..................................................... 34 PROPERTY TYPES ...................................................... 34 DISTRIBUTION OF PROPERTY TYPES..................................... 34 EVALUATION CRITERIA ................................................ 35 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................ 35 RESEARCH ISSUES ..................................................... 35 GOALS ................................................................ 35 REVIEW AND UPDATE .................................................. 35 RECENT PRESERVATION ACTIVITY...................................... 35 CONCEPT: AUTO-INFLUENCED COMMERCIAL ROADSIDE ARCHITECTURE OF DELAWARE’S UPPER PENINSULA........................ 36 TIME PERIOD: 1880-1940 ................................................. 36 GEOGRAPHIC AREA .................................................... 36 HISTORIC THEMES ..................................................... 36 PROPERTY TYPES ...................................................... 36 DISTRIBUTION OF PROPERTY TYPES..................................... 36 EVALUATION CRITERIA ................................................ 37 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................ 37 RESEARCH ISSUES ..................................................... 37 GOALS ................................................................ 37 REVIEW AND UPDATE .................................................. 37 RECENT PRESERVATION ACTIVITY...................................... 37 ii CONTENTS (continued) Page CONCEPT: AUTO-INFLUENCED COMMERCIAL ROADSIDE ARCHITECTURE OF DELAWARE’S COASTAL ZONE........................... 39 TIME PERIOD: 1880-1940 ................................................. 39 GEOGRAPHIC AREA .................................................... 39 HISTORIC THEMES ..................................................... 39 PROPERTY TYPES ...................................................... 39 DISTRIBUTION OF PROPERTY TYPES..................................... 39 EVALUATION CRITERIA ................................................ 39 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................ 40 RESEARCH ISSUES ..................................................... 40 GOALS ................................................................ 40 REVIEW AND UPDATE .................................................. 40 RECENT PRESERVATION ACTIVITY...................................... 40 CONCEPT: AUTO-INFLUENCED COMMERCIAL ROADSIDE ARCHITECTURE OF DELAWARE’S URBAN ZONE ............................. 41 TIME PERIOD: 1880-1940 ................................................. 41 GEOGRAPHIC AREA .................................................... 41 HISTORIC THEMES ..................................................... 41 PROPERTY TYPES ...................................................... 41 DISTRIBUTION OF PROPERTY TYPES..................................... 41 EVALUATION CRITERIA ................................................ 41 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................ 42 RESEARCH ISSUES ..................................................... 42 GOALS ................................................................ 42 REVIEW AND UPDATE .................................................. 42 RECENT PRESERVATION ACTIVITY...................................... 42 iii INTRODUCTION These historic context statements for commercial roadside architecture in Delaware’s five geographic zones were developed in association with cultural resource investigations undertaken by the Cultural Resource Group of Louis Berger & Associates, Inc., for the Delaware Department of Transportation’s proposed dualization of U.S. Route 113 between Milford and Georgetown in Sussex County. The context statements were developed in accordance with the standards of the 1989 Delaware Comprehensive Historic Preservation Plan. According to the plan, the following elements are identified relative to the context: the appropriate historical time period, the specific geographic area (of the five defined by the comprehensive plan) to which the context applies, the historic themes which explain a property’s significance, the representative property types, the predicted distribution of properties within the geographic zone, the standards for evaluating properties, the bibliography of sources consulted, the issues and goals for future research, the guidelines for updating the context, and a summary of recent preservation activity. The Route 113 Milford-Georgetown project area lies within the Lower Peninsula/Cypress Swamp Zone, which occupies roughly the southern third of the state. At the request of the Bureau of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (BAHP), context statements were also developed for the Piedmont Zone (the northernmost portion of the state, except the City of Wilmington), Upper Peninsula Zone (the southern half of New Castle County and most of Kent County), the Coastal Zone (including the entire length of the Delaware coastline south of the Wilmington city limits), and the Urban Zone (including the City of Wilmington and the corridor to the north of the city and east of I-95). Within this appendix the context for the Lower Peninsula/Cypress Swamp appears first. It is followed, in order, by the contexts for the Piedmont Zone, the Upper Peninsula Zone, the Coastal Zone, and the Urban Zone. 1 CONCEPT: