Park-O-Meter Parking Meter, circa 1958
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Artifact Overview
The first parking meters, installed in Oklahoma City in 1935, were invented by newspaper editor and local traffic commissioner Carl Magee. He produced his own design after enlisting the help of engineering professors and students at nearby Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College (now Oklahoma State University). Then he founded Magee-Hale Park-O-Meter Company to manufacture the meters.
Artifact Details
Artifact
Parking meter
Date Made
1953-1963
Creators
Place of Creation
Location
at Henry Ford Museum in Driving America
Object ID
79.17.3
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of City of Detroit Meter Shop.
Material
Metal
Glass (Material)
Color
Gray (Color)
Dimensions
Height: 20.5 in (Meter only (not mounting pole))
Width: 7.25 in
Length: 3.75 in (thickness)
Inscriptions
Center decal: INSERT COINS IN SLOT AT RIGHT / PARK-O-METER / FOR POLICE REGULATION SEE OTHER SIDE
On right at coin slot: COIN (within arrow)
At top of dial: LIMIT 1 HOUR
On orange decal on dial: NO PENNIES
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Related Content
SetParking
- 27 Artifacts
America's cars symbolize mobility, but they spend 95 percent of their time parked. Storing cars is a longstanding challenge, and every solution brings new problems. Parking lots and structures transform urban and suburban landscapes, parking meters and tickets exasperate city drivers, and residential garages have moved from the back yard onto the house itself. There are as many as a billion parking spots in the United States -- one heck of a lot.