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Claremore Auto Dealership, Oklahoma

Historic building
In Claremore, Oklahoma
0.1 mi from Route 66
National Register of Historic Places

The Claremore Auto Dealership in Claremore, OK, was an Art Deco building from 1930, also known as the Claremore Tire Company. It earned a spot on the National Register in 1995, but the original building seems to have been torn down: photos of the site from 2010 show a completely different structure. Travelers will not find the old showroom, though two good museums stand within about a mile.

What was Claremore Auto Dealership?

The dealership was a commercial building designed in the Art Deco style, the sleek, geometric look that was fashionable around the time it went up. It served the car trade in Claremore and at some point carried a second name, the Claremore Tire Company, which suggests tires were part of the business too.

Its spot on the National Register placed it among the buildings recognized as worth keeping. That makes its apparent loss a useful lesson for road trippers: a historic listing honors a place, but it does not guarantee the building will survive.

History of Claremore Auto Dealership

The building dates to 1930 and joined the National Register in 1995. Sometime after that, it seems to have been torn down. By 2010, photographs of the lot showed a building that looked nothing like the old dealership. The exact date and reason for the change are not recorded in the sources available here.

Visiting Claremore Auto Dealership: tips

Do not make a special trip for this one. If you are already in Claremore, it is less than a mile off the old road, and the site is on the same boulevard named for the town's famous son, Will Rogers.

Better uses of your time are close by. The J. M. Davis Arms and Historical Museum is about 0.2 miles away, and the Will Rogers Memorial Museum is about 1 mile off. Claremore Mound, the hill that gave the town its name, is about 5.5 miles away. A gas station and a restaurant are within a few blocks.