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

1669422907140.png
 
Big_John said:
Not a lot of architecture here, but I like the picture. The Coke machines remind me of when I was a kid and we (neighborhood kids) would stop at the gas station for a soda while walking home.

The Gulf station had the traditional Coke machine and the Shell station across the street had the more modern Pepsi machine. This place has both, something that wouldn't fly these days. Along side the machine in the pic is the crates for the empties... If you walked away with a soda, you were supposed to give the guy in the station the deposit (IIRC 2 cents) and none of us had any more money after buying the soda (10 cents) so we would drink the soda there and put the empty in the rack like good kids.

View attachment 569018
Click to expand...
No architecture here either. Just memories.

I know the feeling. Our neighborhood station had "Nehi" and "Orange Crush" machines. Just two short blocks up the street from my elementary school. Loved that place.

The Nehi and Crush machines were inside, were horizontal boxes, lids on the top, and after you put your dime in, you'd slide the bottle to one side, then pull it up to get it out

A rite of passage growing up was getting the strength to do it myself .. not have Mom or Dad to it. Somewhere about third grade I became a "man" -- but still was leaving skin behind on the bottle caps for a couple more grade levels.

1669427065991.png
1669427139933.png


We have family pics (my Dad's 1965 Olds 98, one of his business trucks) from mid 1960's at location below. Couldnt find them unfortunately.

That building no longer resembles as gas station IF you didnt know it was one 60 years ago. Little office door on right with a skinny little window, and two bays bricked over on left.

Where the red shed is, there used to be some other building -- long gone it would appear. on the right, there was a bullpen of stuff needing repair.

1669427346421.png

Anyway, changing geography, I did find this novelty architectural gem looking for Nehi-selling gas stations.

1924, the world's largest bottle, Opelika AL.

Gas station and bottle are long gone (since 1936), but in its day it got a lot of publicity. That definitely is a Nehi bottle design and surface features..
1669426623442.png


source: The Bottle, Alabama - Wikipedia
 
Last edited:
amazinblue82 said:
Bob Peck Chevrolet, 800 N. Glebe, Arlington VA. circa. 1960's, though it was there earlier.

Long gone, but the builders of a gleaming, glass side building (Ballston Buildin) paid homage to the dealership that had historical signifcance to the area/city. They put up an awning reminiscent of the old dealer ship facade.

Neat touch.

sources: Ballston Building Adds ‘Bob Peck’ Awning | ARLnow.com, 800 NORTH GLEBE ROAD | JBG SMITH

View attachment 569093
View attachment 569094

today
View attachment 569095View attachment 569096
Click to expand...
@Trace 300 Hurst will remember the location. Demolished a few years ago, like most of the neighborhood — the area is just across the Potomac River from DC and has been booming for two decades or so.
 
More great neon in this pic. Unknown location, but I understand that they were popular in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.

1669482456997.png


EDIT: Found a better pic of the neon sign, different location though.

1669484051232.png


Broad Causeway, Florida.

1669482642857.png


Recent pic

1669482688161.png
 
Last edited:
That awning really is a nice touch! Bravo to the architect. I do indeed remember that dealership well.

Peck was a big player in DC (along with Ourisman), and that building was the personification of "60's built" dealerships--as we see so often in @Welder guy 's wonderful Classic Pictures thread.
 
Unknown location. Minimalist construction!

1669484311032.png


Another unknown location. The canopy is pretty wild.

1669484556050.png
 
Trace 300 Hurst said:
>>>The canopy is pretty wild.<<<

"Googie" architecture!! Very cool.

I'm kind of an architecture buff....took some classes while in engineering school.
Googie architecture - Wikipedia
Click to expand...

When I've been looking at this thread and pics out on the web, I realize how much the architecture was different in the Northeast, where I grew up, and places where the architects didn't have to worry about snow load when designing the roof.

Side story to illustrate this... Back when I was dating my wife, she lived north of Syracuse in a little town called Central Square. I remember watching the national news about a big snowstorm in New York State and they used the four corners in Central Square as a back drop.

They built a new Walmart just outside of town, not far off Interstate 81. The first winter had a lot of snow and some knowledgeable folks noticed the roof supports starting to bend from the snow weight. The place closed immediately. Turned out that Walmart had been built using plans for a southern store and it wasn't designed to hold that much snow... And they got that heavy "lake effect" wet snow there too. They rebuilt/reinforced and was opened a few weeks later.

BTW, snow loading can be up to 30lbs per square foot.... Literally tons of snow on that flat Walmart roof!
 
A few across the pond -- dont want our European colleagues left out. All the "modernist" architectural style. Location above the pic

1953 - Texaco Station in Muldersweg, Nijmegen (Netherlands)
1669485571853.png


1950's - Athens Greece,
1669485852485.png


1950's - Arnhem, Gelderland (Netherlands)
1669486030264.png


1954 - Copenhagen, Denmark
1669486146784.png


1950's - Somewhere in the Netherlands
1669486235002.png
 
In Miami Beach, on Lincoln Road, which is now a pedestrian mall, there's an old Cadillac-Lasalle dealership which is now a Guess store.

mcad.jpg


mcad2.jpg


1669493508298.png
 
Fishfan said:
In Miami Beach, on Lincoln Road, which is now a pedestrian mall, there's an old Cadillac-Lasalle dealership which is now a Guess store.
Click to expand...

1669495447364.png


source: 1929 Nolan Peeler Motors Cadillac dealership in Miami Florida restored.

"The Nolan-Peeler Motors dealership was designed by Carlos B. Schoeppl and built in 1929 as the "Cadillac Salon."

The dealership had moved by 1942 and the building's bas-relief sculpture had been covered up by then. It was uncovered and restored in 2020. The building now houses a Guess clothing store."
 
amazinblue82 said:
View attachment 569151

source: 1929 Nolan Peeler Motors Cadillac dealership in Miami Florida restored.

"The Nolan-Peeler Motors dealership was designed by Carlos B. Schoeppl and built in 1929 as the "Cadillac Salon."

The dealership had moved by 1942 and the building's bas-relief sculpture had been covered up by then. It was uncovered and restored in 2020. The building now houses a Guess clothing store."
Click to expand...
Although it says it was uncovered and restored in 2020 I can tell you that's not true. I worked in Miami Beach from 2004-2007 and it was already in its current state. Maybe they meant 2002?
 
Fishfan said:
Although it says it was uncovered and restored in 2020 I can tell you that's not true. I worked in Miami Beach from 2004-2007 and it was already in its current state. Maybe they meant 2002?
Click to expand...
And on the same street, Lincoln Road, there's a Banana Republic store that used to be a Savings and Loan. The big marble teller counter is still there and the vault is there and now acts as the fitting rooms.
 
Fishfan said:
Although it says it was uncovered and restored in 2020 I can tell you that's not true. I worked in Miami Beach from 2004-2007 and it was already in its current state. Maybe they meant 2002?
Click to expand...
that's why its cool if local folks weigh in.

:thumbsup:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top