FIMC COMMERCIAL REALTY

1619 S Tyler St Amarillo, TX 79102 806-358-7151
Availability information click the link: The Firestone Amarillo

This two-story steel-frame brick and cast-stone clad automobile service building was built for $42,000 in 1930 for Leon Smith, the original Firestone distributor in Amarillo. The building ornamentation is derived from both the Spanish  Colonial Revival and the Moderne.  The property is a reflection of the commercial aspects of auto service that developed during the interwar years in America, as the one-stop service and supply centers sought to distinguish themselves from the more traditional and simple filling stations in an era of unprecedented prosperity and auto-based mobility. The evolution from the simple filling station to the more complex building form represented by the Firestone building is the result of the evolution of the automobile itself, its cultural use and technological advances, as well as the evolution in the business models utilized by the commercial enterprises who specialized in providing automobile services and supplies in an increasingly competitive market. It is one of just two remaining examples in Amarillo.

The Firestone was active for around sixty years as an automobile service station on this busy corner in Downtown Amarillo. It was rehabilitated by local developers into residences using both state and local historic tax credits and reopened as the Firestone Lofts in 2018.

Source: National Register File, 15000451.pdf (texas.gov)