Polo-Resto Service Station 

Date of Construction: 1925.

Architectual Style: Astylistic Utilitarian.

In 1925, a service station and sandwich shop were built by Charles Hall, just north of the De Pere city limits, across from the present-day St. Norbert Abbey property. Tourist cabins were reportedly added and, in 1930, a 1,200-foot toboggan slide was built.

In the early 1930s, the farm field across the road from the station was used for polo matches by the Green Bay-De Pere Polo Club. Spectators, as well as the visiting polo teams themselves, utilized the tourist cabins. As a result, the establishment, which by then consisted of a gas station and a tavern, was owned by John Ziehms and was known as “Polo- Resto.”

In 1938, St. Norbert College replaced the polo field with a football field known as Minahan Stadium (no longer extant). The gas station eventually closed but it was utilized for other businesses, last known as “Village Gate.” By 2004, however, the gas station building was the only Polo-Resto-related building remaining and the site was targeted for redevelopment.

Cooperative efforts between local businesses and the De Pere Historical Society led to a campaign to raise funds to save the former service station from demolition. In August 2004, the building was moved to its current location in Voyageur Park and was restored. Dedication was held in November 2006. The structure, complete with Sinclair-branded pumps typical of the era, is maintained by the De Pere Historical Society.

The public is welcome to sit on a bench for a few minutes, take a breath, and rest.