A framed, black-and-white photo of Wyatt's Service Station sits amid car rims, an ancient pop machine and tire shop necessities.

In the picture, two Model Ts move in and out from under the tiled canopy. A gas station attendant stands, waiting for the next traveler.

That was in 1920, when Yellowstone Highway was the main route to Yellowstone National Park, before Terry and Devon Mathes converted Wyatt's Service Station into A-1 Used Tire Co.

The building may not provide gas like it used to, but Terry Mathes wants it to look like in did in the '20s.

A-1 Used Tire Co., 400 W. Yellowstone Highway, is one of five buildings in the Old Yellowstone District, an area that sits between downtown and Poplar Street, that may be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Mathes plans to re-brick one front section, and use Spanish-style stucco on the other sections. He's already replaced the back garage doors on his warehouse and has kept the same unique front.

"We're also going to paint it different, with two colors so there is contrast," Mathes said, standing in his lobby on the original blue and white tiled floor, betraying the building's age. "We don't want a dump, we want this place to look good."

Some of the buildings up for registration are in use, like Mathes', some aren't.

The old Yellowstone Hotel, a four-story building between A-1 Used Tire Co. and Jackson's Automotive, was a hotel, then apartments, then abandoned. Sound and Cellular Inc. owner John Huff now owns the building.

He replaced some of the brick facing, is fixing the roof and working on remodeling the inside. There are many options for the building, but Huff thinks it may become four high-end condominiums, with shops on the ground floor and parking in the basement.

Huff also owns the old Tripeny Motor Company building, another Yellowstone Highway building being considered for the historic designation. He's turning the white, curving building into a car museum, which could open in the summertime to events and parties.

Behind the tarp-covered windows are brick layers and sheet rockers, working to return the early 1900s building to its former glory.

The list of possibilities also includes Noland Feed Inc., 268 Industrial Ave., one of the oldest buildings in the area. It still has the same facade as it did when farmers and ranchers came for hay and grain in 1918.

The final building is Vickie Ujvary's accounting firm on Ash Street.

Historic Preservation Commission Coordinator Peggy Brooker, said the five buildings meet the qualifications to be listed on the register, but the listing process can sometimes take years.

While officials process paperwork and sign forms, Mathes will work away, replacing tires, staring at the old picture and transforming his building back to the days of Model Ts and station attendants.

Contact city reporter Christine Robinson at (307) 266-0639 or christine.robinson@trib.com