INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — A long-vacant gas station at the gateway to Lakeshore Boulevard — one of the most exclusive streets in the Lake Tahoe Basin — may see new life after more than two decades of inactivity.

Known as the Orbit Station, the structure at 560 Lakeshore Blvd. has stood unused for more than 20 years. Still, to some, the building is an unmistakable historic landmark along the North Shore.

“It’s a midcentury modern building from a time when Tahoe was still developing,” said architectural historian Alan Hess. “This building echoes and represents the character of the area at the time.”

Built in 1961 by developer Jack Ferguson, one of Incline Village’s original planners, the Orbit Station’s distinctive double-triangular roof reflects the “Googie” architectural style. The design was popularized in service stations and diners during the Space Age — an era often called the “golden age” of futuristic design.

“This station is a really good historic representation of that time period,” Hess said. “The fact that it has survived, even unused, makes it significant.”

A history buried and unearthed

The Orbit Station operated until roughly 25 years ago, when it was determined that underground tank replacements couldn’t be completed. After the shutdown, workers began removing the tanks and discovered leaks, prompting a 20-year environmental remediation under the federal Superfund program.

According to Phil GilanFarr, an Incline architect and representative for the property’s owner, Village Springs LLC, the site was cleared by the Environmental Protection Agency about two and a half years ago.

Now that the process of remediation is finished, the property owner has been trying to figure out the best possible future for the site. 

“But we don’t have a proposed project yet,” said GilanFarr. “A developer could put a gas station there tomorrow — but I don’t think that’s what the community wants.”

Development possibilities

In early October, the Washoe County Board of Commissioners voted 4-1 to increase the property’s maximum density from four to six units per acre, potentially paving the way for a mix of residential and commercial development.

“All we were trying to do with the density increase was make sure the entitlements were in order,” GilanFarr said. “That way, there would be the maximum possibilities for the property owner or a future developer to do something that benefits the community.”

Ideas under consideration include mixed-use projects, condominiums, or even a community park that preserves the existing building.

“But even if we come up with a master plan for the building right now, the property owner isn’t pushing to start any kind of development at this point,” he said.

Preserving Tahoe’s architectural memory

To Hess, the Orbit Station’s value extends beyond its architectural novelty.

“Energy, materials, costs, and treasures went into building this originally,” Hess said. “It would be wasteful to just demolish it.”

He pointed to the importance of adaptive reuse projects — and referenced former gas stations that have been transformed into restaurants, coffee shops, and even a visitor center in Palm Springs — as proof that reinvention can honor the past while serving the present.

“These buildings are our collective memory of who we were, which shapes who we are today,” Hess said. “With a little imagination, this building could have a usable future that serves the community.”