76 gas station balls are going away

[timbabcock]

ConocoPhillips is removing the iconic 76 balls from their gas stations, replacing them with boring flat signs.

There was an article on this in The Seattle Times not too long ago. It should be on the Save the Ball website as well.

Conco-Phillips feels that the orange color doesn't fit into the color scheme of thier gas stations. So they used a flat style version of the logo and made it red. The same color that Conoco and Phillips uses in thier logos.

When they remodeled the service stations, they switch everything to the same format for all three brands. I supposed if they felt like it, they could easily replace the 76 brand with Conoco or Philips and some probably wouldn't even know the difference.

It was interesting to find out that the logo was first designed for the skyride at The Seattle Worlds Fair.[/quote]

[Barcelos]

Yes I noticed recently that my local 76 replaced its large ball with an ugly flat sign. Totally awful.

[TheStranger]

I do wonder what the deal was behind the two 76 stations I know of that got _red_ spinning balls before Conoco publically announced their change of course...both are in the Oasis ConocoPhillips prototype, and are in Northern California.

One is Ed's 76 at 15th and X in midtown Sacramento:
http://dtcwrt.earlracing.com/stores2/320/dcfc0005.jpg

The other is at Airport and Linden in South San Francisco:
http://dtcwrt.earlracing.com/stores/1222b/dcfc0027.jpg

[tkaye]

Conco-Phillips feels that the orange color doesn't fit into the color scheme of thier gas stations. So they used a flat style version of the logo and made it red. The same color that Conoco and Phillips uses in thier logos.

I believe the new red logo is to differentiate Conoco's holdings (retail gasoline operations) from the rights to the 76 name (refinery operations) that are still owned by Unocal and its parent company, Chevron. Unocal still owns the orange logo as far as I know.

I've got to think that some of the balls won't come down as a result of modern sign ordinances. In a lot of places, replacement signs wouldn't be nearly as tall, and would sacrifice a lot of visibility, especially near freeways. This came to mind as I was passing by the 76 station near the I-5 offramp at Bridgeport Way in Lakewood/Tacoma. The ball sign is still there, but a new red "disc" sign has been erected streetside facing old Pacific Highway. It's not much more than two feet tall, if that. I bet the zoning laws had something to do with that. The ball-on-pole is visible from the offramp and too valuable an asset to lose, I'd think.

[scanman2]

that's too bad as I have liked for many years that the 76 station visible from the 60 fwy in Montebello between Garfield and Paramount would put a pumpkin pattern slip over skin on the sign and make it a Jack o'lantern.