Photos of Vintage Auto Dealerships, Repair Shops, and Gas Stations
- Thread starter ayilar
- Start date
Tow truck is a cut down Franklin (made here in Syracuse) with a Manley auto crane. Wrecked Model T.
pomonamissel
Senior Member
vintage the way america used to be .
1942 Grand Island, Nebraska
I believe the "froze" is a WWII restriction on new car sales.
I believe the "froze" is a WWII restriction on new car sales.
1903 New York Auto Show
LocuMob
Fluid Technician with a hat
Those first two pictures could be your stash if they were placed a little differently at your shop!
This took me down a rabbit hole... I found this picture and wanted a pic of the Chevy dealer.
This is in Helena, MT in 1929 The man sitting on the bumper is race driver Chuck Conners. Great picture!
After some searching, I found this picture of the building. I think this is a parking lot now.
This place, Central Garage, was right across the street.
Recent pic. Still looks pretty good.
This place was just a few doors down.
This is in Helena, MT in 1929 The man sitting on the bumper is race driver Chuck Conners. Great picture!
After some searching, I found this picture of the building. I think this is a parking lot now.
This place, Central Garage, was right across the street.
Recent pic. Still looks pretty good.
This place was just a few doors down.
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Also in Helena, MT and found while searching for above pics.
Some inside pictures
Some inside pictures
One of the neat things this thread has revealed to me is now many places in America that are "fossils" of the "automobile-ization" of the world. These buildings. Specialized in nature -- representing the replacement of the horse for the "horseless carriage" -- they appear to be on the way to extinction.
That's another thread ..
Anyway, any 1,500 sq. ft (~50x30) six-sided "hexangular", corner lot building, no matter what it looks like today, may have been one of these cool, old gas stations. An example
Built ~1935-1940, streamline moderne corporate Gulf Station, Old Layette at Main Street, Lexington KY.
Interesting "human interest" local, news story. Fella moves his restaurant, into a former Subway, starts to remodel it, then finds the remnants of his gas station history.
I dig its still there, but bummin' that it, and so many thousands of buildings like it, bear little resemblance to what they were.
Yeah, I know things go obsolete, new owners need different features, the economics may favor remodeling over raze/rebuild, etc. Guess I wish - the hobbyist in me - the old stuff could live on more like they wereintended to look when built.
The finished product, after new owner and local historians dug up the history, still left me a little disappointed more of the old building was not recovered.
Long as the new owner has a thriving business is what really matters.
source: Lexington restaurant owner uncovers Lexington history in new location
circa: 1940's
2012 - when it was a Subway
About 2020, before remodeling was complete.
Today, via Google, the finished new restaurant,
That's another thread ..
Anyway, any 1,500 sq. ft (~50x30) six-sided "hexangular", corner lot building, no matter what it looks like today, may have been one of these cool, old gas stations. An example
Built ~1935-1940, streamline moderne corporate Gulf Station, Old Layette at Main Street, Lexington KY.
Interesting "human interest" local, news story. Fella moves his restaurant, into a former Subway, starts to remodel it, then finds the remnants of his gas station history.
I dig its still there, but bummin' that it, and so many thousands of buildings like it, bear little resemblance to what they were.
Yeah, I know things go obsolete, new owners need different features, the economics may favor remodeling over raze/rebuild, etc. Guess I wish - the hobbyist in me - the old stuff could live on more like they wereintended to look when built.
The finished product, after new owner and local historians dug up the history, still left me a little disappointed more of the old building was not recovered.
Long as the new owner has a thriving business is what really matters.
source: Lexington restaurant owner uncovers Lexington history in new location
circa: 1940's
2012 - when it was a Subway
About 2020, before remodeling was complete.
Today, via Google, the finished new restaurant,
This pic popped up this morning and while it's a great picture, it has no architecture and that is the aim of this thread.
But! It also had a link with it to an article with some really great pictures of some assembly lines. Amazing Vintage Photos Show the Ford Assembly Lines Mass-Producing Model T Cars, 1910s-1920s - Rare Historical Photos
But! It also had a link with it to an article with some really great pictures of some assembly lines. Amazing Vintage Photos Show the Ford Assembly Lines Mass-Producing Model T Cars, 1910s-1920s - Rare Historical Photos
I try hard NOT to follow the "business" story, behind the architecture. It calls my attention to wanna dive into that pool.This pic popped up this morning and while it's a great picture, it has no architecture and that is the aim of this thread.
But! It also had a link with it to an article with some really great pictures of some assembly lines. Amazing Vintage Photos Show the Ford Assembly Lines Mass-Producing Model T Cars, 1910s-1920s - Rare Historical Photos
The "coming" of the automobile 120 years ago .. one of the most fascinating stories in the history of the world.
Detroit, the "Silicon Valley" of its day, IN this industry's history? Yes. The data would indicate great similarities. Hyperbole? Not much IMHO.
It happened in "my backyard" so to speak in Detroit. It took me two business degrees, a 30 year career IN the industry that showed me the world .. and I am still learning stuff today about how it all went down.
The Ford factory pics/story in that link were great. Folks interested in that stuff should take a look at that link..
Aside: if interested and haven't seen it, one of my favorite documentaries (gotta be at least 10 years old now) on the History Channel. Great stories. Wonderful "industrial" architecture weaved in too.
Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, JP Morgan, Henry Ford, and Cornelius Vanderbilt. -- 2,000 years from now they'll still be talking about what these cats did.
source: The Men Who Built America - Wikipedia
Enjoyed that series too.
This got me thinking and I just dug out a book I bought ~35 years ago. Menno Duerksen's "History of the Great American Classics. It gives a history of some of the higher end cars built in the early part of the 20th century. Stutz, Duesenberg, Franklin and a few that many guys haven't hear of... Like the Doble steam cars.
I just did a search and I see there's some used copies in softcover out there. Mine is a hardcover and I think I actually ordered it from the magazine "Cars and Parts" when Duerksen was writing for them.
I have to read through this again... An actual book and not my Kindle for a change...
Another "hobby retirement house" candidate.
Built 1926. Two stories, art deco brick & limestone, reinforced concrete likely for the era, restrooms, high-ceiling with clear span areas, about 100 x 50 ft, each floor (so, ~10K sq. ft), a former garage, White Eagle gas, and Overland car dealer, Broadway at Second, Fullerton Nebraska.
100 years old with architectural character, small town, but not "one-horse" tiny, residential areas nearby, near I-80 a major E/W interstate, being used for storage and could largely stay that way when it outlived me.
I'd restore second floor windows (red brick-overs). Probably a roof strong enough for a "greenspace" (e.g., grass, deck,. etc.) outdoors.
A bit too far northerly for me for snow reasons, but a family concentration (albeit further away than I'd like) 4 hours away in KCMO area.
I still like it.
source: Nebraska Car Showrooms & Dealerships | RoadsideArchitecture.com
Built 1926. Two stories, art deco brick & limestone, reinforced concrete likely for the era, restrooms, high-ceiling with clear span areas, about 100 x 50 ft, each floor (so, ~10K sq. ft), a former garage, White Eagle gas, and Overland car dealer, Broadway at Second, Fullerton Nebraska.
100 years old with architectural character, small town, but not "one-horse" tiny, residential areas nearby, near I-80 a major E/W interstate, being used for storage and could largely stay that way when it outlived me.
I'd restore second floor windows (red brick-overs). Probably a roof strong enough for a "greenspace" (e.g., grass, deck,. etc.) outdoors.
A bit too far northerly for me for snow reasons, but a family concentration (albeit further away than I'd like) 4 hours away in KCMO area.
I still like it.
source: Nebraska Car Showrooms & Dealerships | RoadsideArchitecture.com
Built 1948. Born as Weeks Lincoln Mercury, 406 Geer St, Durham, NC.
Mid-century modern, 14K sq. ft, clear span, single story.
I'd consider it among the better of all the ones I looked at seriously in the past decade. Right size, right climate, right overall demographics.
Dont think its available now, and even if it was probably out of reach for my purposes (college-town prices - yikes!). Part of it is a furniture store, the other part an eatery.
sources: North Carolina Car Showrooms & Dealerships | RoadsideArchitecture.com, 406 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701 | LoopNet, Weeks Motor Company / Hutchins Auto Supply | Open Durham, Pioneers | Home
1953
2000's, auto supply left, vacant, then remodeled, then vacant as of 2018
Google, Today.
Garage part an eatery ("Hutchins Garage"), showroom part now a furniture store ("Pioneers", sometime in past 18 months).
Mid-century modern, 14K sq. ft, clear span, single story.
I'd consider it among the better of all the ones I looked at seriously in the past decade. Right size, right climate, right overall demographics.
Dont think its available now, and even if it was probably out of reach for my purposes (college-town prices - yikes!). Part of it is a furniture store, the other part an eatery.
sources: North Carolina Car Showrooms & Dealerships | RoadsideArchitecture.com, 406 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701 | LoopNet, Weeks Motor Company / Hutchins Auto Supply | Open Durham, Pioneers | Home
1953
2000's, auto supply left, vacant, then remodeled, then vacant as of 2018
Google, Today.
Garage part an eatery ("Hutchins Garage"), showroom part now a furniture store ("Pioneers", sometime in past 18 months).
pomonamissel
Senior Member
here's my dad's first location and a couple of his tow truck builds . sorry for the images are pics of pics .
pomonamissel
Senior Member
my current location and dad's last one , my 64 d100 with my 69 d200 crew , my 70 d300 roll back with my 61 d200 aboard . getting ready to flatbed my 61 d200
