Del Taco (Formerly Phillips 66)
St Louis, MO
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Visitors seeing this building for the first time can be forgiven for believing some sort of UFO landing has occurred. Built in 1967 as a futuristic Phillips 66 service station, its dramatic flying-saucer roof made it one of the most recognizable examples of Googie architecture in St. Louis. Years later, the former gas station found a second life as a Del Taco restaurant, becoming a popular stop for nearby college students.

As full-service gas stations disappeared and roadside architecture became more standardized, imaginative designs like this became increasingly rare. The building's sweeping roofline and Space Age styling remain a reminder of an era when oil companies competed as much with architecture as they did with gasoline prices.

The latest word is the building owner would like to demolish this architectural gem and replace it with something more mainstream. According to this St. Louis Post-Dispatch article, preservationists are working to save the structure and a Save St. Louis Del Taco Facebook group has now formed. Thousands of supporters have "liked" the page and the number continues to grow. Visit the Facebook page for more information on how to help save this space age structure from demolition. 06-11 06-11

UPDATE: After the Del Taco chain closed down its St Louis restaurants including this one, the building was saved and and via adaptive reuse has became a Starbucks. 09-17

UPDATE: Preservationists successfully rallied to save the building from demolition after plans were announced to replace it with new construction. Following the closure of Del Taco, the landmark was adaptively reused as a Starbucks, allowing one of St. Louis' best-known examples of Googie architecture to continue serving customers while preserving its iconic design. 06-26