Be Sure With Pure

Pure Oil Silo-Carpentersville, IL, originally uploaded by William 74.

This is the restored silo at Meadowdale International Raceway in Carpentersville, Illinois. It's known as the "Pure Oil Silo" for obvious reasons, and when it was saved a few years ago, the original signwriting was restored, complete with Pure logo.

The Pure Oil Company was founded in 1914, bringing together three different oil companies, and by the 1920's had relocated it's headquarters to Chicago, with a tech center in Carpentersville. The company was already involved in motorsports, as a main supplier for NASCAR, so they were an ideal supporter for Leonard Besinger's track out in the suburbs. Pure gasoline was provided from pumps in the infield of the track, remnants of which still stand.

Pure was purchased by the Union Oil Company of California (Unocal) in 1965, and the Pure name was phased out throughout the decade, to be replaced by the Union 76 name. Quite a few old Pure stations are still around-they're distinctive looking cottage style stations, and I still remember our local one being a Union 76 station in the 80's, before Unocal pulled out of the Midwestern market. It's a garden center now, but still retains it's cottage-style charm.

I like this shot of the restored silo, with the TtV treatment. I think it gives it a period photo look.