Photos of Vintage Auto Dealerships, Repair Shops, and Gas Stations

sum-gum.

I'd a bet really money it was gone. This is primo real estate .. less that two miles from the White House.

Former Embassy Gulf Station, 22nd St @ P St., Washington DC.

Built 1936, one-story, freestanding building in temple form with a gable roof, limestone facades, Tuscan columns, and fan transoms. Gulf put some dough in this thing back in the day.

source: Embassy Gulf Service Station - The Embassy Gulf Service Station is an important and intact example of 1930s gas station architecture in DC. | DC Historic Sites

1992
f517f8d4a180ea2ed164eddbf7781af4.jpg
60f4a0a54ffb054277292e2d393fb4ec.jpg


2011 . A Sunoco at one time
5553919286_8f0cd1a072_b.jpg


2017 - awaiting its next usage
e038defb5a4d14c7606a2b29e0de014b.jpg


2022 - Now a Shell station
1672434127307.png
1672434273175.png
1672434355458.png
1672434428764.png
 
The first Phillips 66 gas station in the country, opened in 1927, 805 E. Central Street, Wichita, Kansas.

"Phillips used a Tudor cottage style for the design of their first station, a small brick structure with a gable roof, a cross gable over the front door, and a chimney expressed on the exterior adjacent to the front door.

Cottage style gas stations became popular in the 1920’s and 1930’s due to a public backlash against early gas stations which were often little more than unsightly wood or tin sheds."

Kinda fascinating, as an aside, watching the gas station architectural evolution as competitive strategies evolved. The architectural designs of the building were functional, but also intended to attract customers and franchisees (e.g., the Phillips "gullwings" just a couple decades later).

These were very small stations, maybe 1,200 sq. ft., no or maybe one bay, hardly ever (without modification) were a competitive building design after WWII. The designs almost always, if they survived after the war up to today, were turned into something else.

The first Phillips is still there, but architecturally messed with, but also upgraded after 100 years, as you can see with this one.

source: NCPTT | Sixty-Six Phillips 66 Stations: From the Walking Dead to American Restoration

circa: 1927 - this one may be here but it wasn't identified.

Figure-1-Phillips-66-station.jpg



Google, 2022
1672493851268.png
1672493951213.png
 
The "gas-station-into-house" thing aint new. People doin' it all over the world. This one is on booking dot com.

My plan, cuz BH&G, Vrbo, etc., ain't remotely my goal, wouldn't include this much renovation (because I need 5,000 sq. ft. of garage space) but this is very nicely done.

Lots of pics at link.

Schulenburg, Texas (halfway between San Antonio and Houston)

346957323.jpg
346957369.jpg
346957325.jpg
346957324.jpg
346957327.jpg
346957331.jpg
346957333.jpg
346957339.jpg
 
amazinblue82 said:
The "gas-station-into-house" thing aint new. People doin' it all over the world. This one is on booking dot com.

My plan, cuz BH&G, Vrbo, etc., ain't remotely my goal, wouldn't include this much renovation (because I need 5,000 sq. ft. of garage space) but this is very nicely done.

Lots of pics at link.

Schulenburg, Texas (halfway between San Antonio and Houston)

View attachment 573809View attachment 573810View attachment 573811View attachment 573812View attachment 573813View attachment 573814View attachment 573815View attachment 573816
Click to expand...
I find it ironic that there's a gas station/car theme going on, but the place where you would park a car is now for living only.
 
i guess you park under that canopy/deck thing, cuz that's where the front door is too.

you're right about the irony. the joint is "car-themed" due to heritage of the building. 3 bedrooms, amenities, tastefully decorated, etc. .. groovy crib. but is it useful without any kinda garage for a serious "car guy/gal"?

Nope.

I ain't leavin' my classic C-body outdoors in the elements no matter how cool the building is -- defeats the purpose of collecting. Or just even keeping your every day vehicles clean/dry etc.

Guess I could build something out back tho .. or try to get the building next door (a little over 5,000 sq. ft. in that one).

1672503589778.png
1672503713299.png
1672503877598.png
 
Last edited:
Build date unknown, Firestone Tire Store and "76" Gas station, 2nd @ Poplar St, Walla Walla, Washington.

Nine dollar new tires, attendants in uniform and hats.. gotta be the early '50's. btw, "right turn on red" on street sign .. I thought that was a newer thing . Apparently not

Building (nice but not architecturally significant) is bigger than it looks (about 7,000 sq.ft.) but smack dab in the heart of a commercial business area in the city. Unlikely, for my purposes, to get residential zoning.

Another one, still there today (angles of the building, corner lot, etc.) , but if you didnt know exactly what it was, "L" shape of building might tip you off. Subdivided as is common if this era building, in urban areas, almost always are.

source: Firestone store and gas station at 2nd and Poplar, 1953. File photos courtesy of the Union-Bulletin.

1953
estone+store+&+gas+station,+2nd+&+Poplar,+Jun+1953.jpg
irestone+store+&+gas+station+&+staff,+Jun+1953+(2).jpg
irestone+store+&+gas+station+&+staff,+Jun+1953+(4).jpg
Firestone+store+&+gas+station,+Jun+1953+(2).jpg


Google, today,
1672583993541.png
1672584132530.png
 
Last edited:
234 N H St, Lompoc, CA 93436
Lompoc Ford from about 1948-1996
LompocFord48-96.jpg


60's
BeattieFord.jpg


Now a restaurant from about 2018
SolvangBrewingCo.jpg



Alan
 
Example of a station I frequented when my first car way back in 1976.

The vintage photo is NOT the station, but rather an example of the "ranch house" design Shell popularized in the mid-60's. The current photo is what is looks like today .. you can see the resemblance.

Never had a canopy, corner lot and gas was a lofty 53 cents/gallon.

The neighborhood has changed .. I am NOT a bashing Detroit, but going through this area 45 years later brings tears to my eyes.

Example - 1969
image003.jpg


Today .. left half of this building is a typical garage add-on after it became something else in the late 1980's.

The "penitentiary-style" fencing came on about the same time. Lotta them tear down the "chimney" when the national brand goes away too. This one had a one back in the day.

Aside, this location about 2 miles from where 1967 riots were .. they are still working to bring that area back 55 years later
1672700553053.png
 
Last edited:
Another old Shell a couple blocks away
1101 W Ocean Ave, Lompoc, CA 93436
Kings.jpg


Same intersection, no idea the origin.
1100 W Ocean Ave, Lompoc, CA 93436
R1.jpg


Same intersection, no idea the origin.
1040 W Ocean Ave, Lompoc, CA 93436
National.jpg



Alan
 
Another few blocks

This one showed up about 1938 and appears to have been service till the mid 60s.
The larger building came about 1943
The smaller building to the left about 1956

307 W Ocean Ave, Lompoc, CA 93436
Oliveira's.jpg



Alan
 
...another couple blocks
119 E Ocean Ave, Lompoc, CA 93436
Plumb.jpg


Same intersection
The location looks to have been built about 1950, the tin bay was added later. Originally the dealer had another wing that was removed about 1965
In front of the dealer was a gas station that was there from about 1930 to about 1962 overlapping the dealer.
I have no idea what the dealer was prior to Toyota or if it was even a dealer. It has been a Toyota dealer from at least the mid 80s.

203 E Ocean Ave, Lompoc, CA 93436
Toyota1.jpg

Toyota2.jpg


1962
Toyota3.jpg




Alan
 
On more (all of these are on the same street, all within 2 miles).
1500 E Ocean Ave, Lompoc, CA 93436
Camarenas.jpg



Alan
 
dunno how big Lompoc is, how fast it grew, etc but this proliferation of mid-60's designs/corner lot placements -- on a "main drag" maybe-- is a recurring pattern in "urban" (50+k people) areas.

population 20k ("small town") to 50+k ("city") people, good drive-by traffic ,etc. the fact that many are now "something else" other than gas stations may be because the mid-70's/earlier buildings were NOT competitive designs as gas "retailing" was becoming more like "convenience stores where you got gas too".

thanks boss.
aside: one can "nerd out" here for the history (1859 to 2021) of gas retailing in USA. scholarly kinda thing, so very few/no pictures but lots of references to things that one may not have known.

First purpose-built, "drive-in" gas station in US? 1913, Pittsburgh PA, Gulf Station (Baum a & St. Clair St, LONG gone).

source: The First Gas Station
The-first-gas-station.jpg

PAPIT1stgas_dk4951.jpg

 
Last edited:
The developed part of Lompoc is about 6 square miles and has a population just over 40,000.

This road was the main drag when these stations were built, Highway 1 came into town and turned about half way and at that time it went into mostly undeveloped area.
Originally Vandenberg Airforce Base didn't have any services of their own and everybody depended on Lompoc for most of that.
Over the years development grew moving the focus away from "downtown" mix in bad Planning ordinances left these area in no mans land.
Over the years as the town grew the focus moved with it. Lompoc doesn't have the demand or the resources for growth that nearby communities have. This is good and bad, it keeps the town small but there is no money to build. Much of what is seen was built in the 50s when Vandenberg started launching rockets. There was another push in the 80s with anticipation of the Space Shuttle being launched from Vandenberg but that was canned after the Challenger disaster.

I could go on about what may have happened but I have always found it interesting how many stations have survived (at least the structures).


Alan
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top