National Transit Building

The oil boom in Pennsylvania started in 1859, when a man by the name of Edwin Drake successfully brought crude oil aboveground using a well. This ignited a fervor for quick riches in the populace, and backwoods farming and timber towns were suddenly overrun by men from across the country. Drake’s discovery birthed an entirely new industry, one that has lasted and continues to be vital to this day. Beginning with barrels and teamsters (horses that would carry the oil in wagons), by 1870 this process had become obsolete thanks to America’s first functioning pipeline.

With the decline of the teamsters came the rise of J. D. Rockefeller, the oil baron. His tactics of buying up or forcing out his competitors led to his Standard Oil Company owning ¾ of America’s pipelines, and all of its refineries by 1876. Part of how he managed this was through his strangleholds on the railroads, which had by and large replaced both teamsters and river transportation. Any independent oil companies who were unfriendly towards Rockefeller were subject to transportation rates so high it was less ruinous to merge with Standard Oil than pay the exorbitant fees. Rockefeller’s transportation arm was called the National Transit Company, and it fast became one of the most powerful companies America had ever seen. While their main headquarters were on Broadway, a local branch of offices was constructed in Oil City to ensure Rockefeller’s interests in the oil region were protected.

The Oil City branch of the National Transit Company was constructed in 1890 to oversee the local commerce, specifically the machine ships, Blacksmiths, and patterns used to make pipelines and other equipment for the oil fields. The aptly named National Transit Building is four stories, having entrances from both Seneca and Center Street. An elevator adorned with curling cast iron reached each floor – and while the elevator no longer functions, the decorative staff remains. The annex and spiral fire escape were constructed in 1896, as Oil City had become the center of the National Transit Company. More offices were required to run the company effectively as Standard Oil acquired more pieces of the oil industry.

Ida Minerva Tarbell set in motion a law which would eventually lead to the Supreme Court dissolving Standard Oil’s stranglehold on the industry in 1911. Per the ruling, each branch of the monopoly became its own company, and the National Transit Building was no exception. Unable to survive without the power of the Rockefeller money behind it, National Transit was sold 10 times, before it was absorbed by Pennzoil. In 1978, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. However, by the time the 1990s rolled around, the once-bustling building was nearly abandoned. Ralph Nader saved it from destruction when he bought and then donated the structure to the Oil City Civic Center. This community non-profit has turned the National Transit Building into an artist’s haven. In addition to renting out studios and storage to artists and historic societies, the Transit Building also has galleries and event areas available for art, performance, music, classroom, and fundraisers available to the public.

Goodwin, Doris Kearns. The Bully Pulpit. Simon & Schuster, 2013.

 “National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form .” National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives and Records Administration, 1978, www.catalog.archives.gov/search?q=78002477.

“Studios.” ARTS Oil City, 2 July 2018, www.artsoilcity.com/studios/#:~:text=The%20National%20Transit%20Building%20is,a%20subsidiary%20of%20Standard%20Oil.