What’s Next for Ron’s Service Station, Centerville’s Main Street Landmark?
Ron’s Service Station at 278 N. Main Street has been part of everyday life in Centerville for generations. Its next chapter is now an open question. FOX 13 reported on Oct. 7 that longtime owner Ron Randall died in June and that his family has put the property up for sale. No buyer has been announced.
A 1960 design with national recognition
The building most residents know went up in the spring of 1960, a few months after a 1959 windstorm knocked down the earlier Phillips 66 station on the same lot. Phillips Petroleum supplied the plans: its “New Look” station by company architect Clarence Reinhardt, known for an angled triangular canopy that tilts upward like the tail fins on cars of that era.
According to its National Register nomination, the Centerville station appears to be one of the earliest examples of that design still standing, and it kept an unusual amount of its original character. The National Park Service listed it on the National Register of Historic Places on March 26, 2018, under the name Ron’s Phillips 66 Service Station.
What National Register listing does, and doesn’t, do
Listing is recognition, not a guarantee the building stays. Utah’s State Historic Preservation Office explains in its National Register FAQ that under federal law, listing places no restrictions on what a private owner does with a property, up to and including demolition, unless a federally funded or permitted project is involved. Listed properties can qualify for certain preservation incentives when a project meets program rules.
Centerville also has its own historic preservation body. The city’s Planning Commission held a public hearing in August on renaming the Landmarks Commission the Historic Preservation Commission. Whether any local review would apply to this property isn’t clear from the city’s public notices. Residents with questions can reach Centerville Community Development at 801-292-8232.
A Main Street fixture
The Randall family has run a station on this corner since the late 1940s. The fuel pumps stopped working in 1998, but the shop carried on with repairs, and its vintage price sign became one of the most recognizable sights on Main Street. Neighbors have floated ideas from a soda shop to a restaurant to another auto business. No plans for the site have been announced.
DavisCountyUtah.com will update this story if a sale, permit or planning application involving 278 N. Main comes forward. Have a memory of Ron’s? Share it in the comments. For more local stories, visit our news page.
Information current as of Oct. 11, 2026. Ownership and plans for the property may change.
