Skip to main content Skip to search Skip to search results

Red-Crown Mini-Museum

 Organization

Historical Information

The Red Crown Mini-Museum is located at the corner of 6th and South Streets in downtown Lafayette, Indiana. It is right next to Tippecanoe County Library.

The gas station was built by Standard Oil Company of Indiana in 1927-28 and had a one garage bay attached. It was built with glazed brick on all walls and red tile on the roof. In 1935-36 a second garage bay was added. It was in operation as a gas station until 1979, in 1985 the library bought the property for a future parking area. In 1991, Don Stein, a local business man and auto collector offered to restore the gas station, and it was finished later that year.

The interior and exterior is now filled with gas station memorabilia, mostly related to Standard and Red Crown Gasoline. The garage bays are filled with antique cars, and in the parking lot there is a 1931 Ford tow truck. Anyone who comes by should check in the mailbox at the front door and grab a picture postcard and information sheet on the station.

In December 2018, the Tippecanoe County Library unveiled a 24-hour library which resembles a large ATM, filled with books, audiobooks and movies all located in the partially renovated Red Crown Mini Museum.

Citation

Retrieved March 25, 2020 from: http://www.oldgas.com/info/redcrown.htm

Found in 1 Collection or Record:

Red-Crown Mini-Museum history and post card

 Collection — Box: Communal Collections 2, Placement: 08
Identifier: MSP 58
Scope and Contents The Red Crown Mini-Museum history and post card documents the chronological history of the museum. The collection consists of an 8 ½" x 11" sheet of paper detailing the chronological history, along with three copies of a picture post card of the Red Crown Mini-Museum.
Dates: 1927 - 1991