Hat n' Boots Gas Station (Closed)
Seattle, WA
Photos courtesy Mike Fuller

There aren't many gas stations where the office is inside a giant cowboy hat and the restrooms are hidden inside a pair of oversized boots. That's exactly what made Hat n' Boots Gas Station one of the most unforgettable stops along old Highway 99 near Seattle. It was impossible to drive past without slowing down for a second look.

Built during the heyday of roadside America in the mid-1950s, the station was designed to do exactly what good roadside architecture was meant to do—get your attention. Long before towering freeway signs and chain stations all looked alike, places like this competed for customers with imagination. The giant orange hat and towering white boots weren't just decorations. They were the building.

As highways changed and traffic moved away from the old road, the station eventually closed and sat neglected for years. It looked like another classic roadside landmark that was destined to disappear. Fortunately, local preservationists stepped in before it was too late. The giant hat and boots were carefully moved a few blocks away, restored, and given a new home where they could continue surprising visitors for years to come.

Not sure what the fate of this old relic will be. The hat was standing rather folorn and with an uncertain future. I remember first seeing the Hat and Boots at its original location and marveling at how eye-catching the hat and boots truly are. And yes, they would have pulled me off to get some gas if that was still open.

Hat n' Boots at its original location
Seattle, WA
Photo courtesy Mike Fuller

For more of this stuff, check out Roadside Peek's Roadside Vernacular.

Hat n' Boots Gas Station
Seattle, WA
Photos courtesy Mike Fuller

Standing beneath the hat today, it's easy to imagine families pulling in for gas during the 1950s while kids begged their parents to stop for a closer look. That's the magic of places like this. They remind us that the American roadside was once filled with businesses that weren't afraid to have a little fun.

Even without the gas pumps, Hat n' Boots remains one of the Pacific Northwest's great roadside attractions and one of the finest surviving examples of the oversized novelty buildings that made road trips so memorable.

UPDATE: The restored hat and boots now welcome visitors at Seattle's Oxbow Park, where they continue to preserve a colorful piece of roadside history. 07-26