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

Big_John said:
Unknown location, but the year is 1909. I think the cars are Overlands, but not 100% sure. Note right hand drive and the woman driving!

Dirt street and and I think that's a hitching post for horses out front.

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source: Solomon D. Butcher: MONA collection artwork II | MONA, Merna, Nebraska - Wikipedia, Overland Automobile - Wikipedia

Merna is right in the middle the state, population under 500 people. I drove Pegman down Center Street ... it almost looks the same but no obvious sign of any of the buildings in photo.

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1910 Overland Model 42 -- with some swag. Overland a distant ancestor of Chrysler it seems on the Willys side (Jeep).
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Leeds England about 1934. Yea, we haven't done scrap yards, but I liked this pic with the car and the propeller over the entrance.

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No location. If the Desoto wasn't dirty, I'd say this was an advertisement.

All white... Who thinks of the Morton Salt girl?

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1957 Gulf advertising ..and yeah odd that DeSoto is dirty... Mom's gotta get daughter back to the Morton's shoot (my era is when she's in yellow though). :p

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First Dodge dealership in Utah. Built in 1919, was still there in 2019. 96 W. Main Street, Mt. Pleasant UT (about 100 miles south of Salt Lake City).

Not architecturally distinctive, but 100 years old (maybe more) is an accomplishment for the structure.

source: Seeley, Hinckley first Utah Dodge car dealership

Circa. 1919
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Built in 1929 as a factory for Samson Tire and Rubber Co that later became US Tires. The factory was shut down in 1978 and remained empty till the 90s when the facade was saved as the focal point for a new Outlet Mall. Not just the main building but just about a 1/2 mile of the wall.

100 Citadel Dr, Commerce, CA 90040
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Alan
 
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I have been stumbling over this since this thread started and finally looked at it. The FIAT Tagliero Building.

Art deco style, built 1938, in Asmara, Eritrea [Ethiopia]. Still there (may not be used for anything now though). Asmara is one of the places in the world Google's street view is not available.

Interesting but off topic how this place came to be built in this part of the world (colonialism by European countries in Africa, Italian "politics" in late 1930's, etc.,), but it was designed to resemble an airplane.

The two wings are "cantilevered", 50+ feet in length, made of reinforced concrete. A daring architecture then and now.

The locals back then refused to construct the building per the architect's design (see drawing - they wanted wooden supports under the wings as no way for those concrete slabs to hang in midair they said) until the architect threatened to kill himself if they did that.

So, 85 years later, even after a WWII bombing in the 1940's by the British, the "wings" have not collapsed.

sources: Fiat Tagliero Building - Wikipedia, Africa's 'Miami' boasts art deco trove, The legend of fiat tagliero, The legend of fiat tagliero

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Mid century modern, built 1964, former Tramway Shell Station, 2796 Palm Canyon Rd, Palm Springs, CA.

One of five such designs (mid-century modern gas stations) in Palm Springs and the last one that is still a gas station.

#148 and #207 above may be a couple (same one?) of the other five mid-century moderns.

No longer a Shell, but this one is still a gas station. Designated historical structure US and state of California.

sources: Shell Gas Station – Palm Springs Preservation Foundation
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Today, Google Maps
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Circa 1937, Koolmotor Gasolene [sic] Cleveland OH. Buncha then local landmarks/businesses in this one. that neon sign woulda been "kool" at night.

Like #206 above in Cleveland, still cannot turn up the exact street to ascertain its whereabouts with the imaging tools of Google or Bing.

Maybe a local could help out?

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Found it. but only by finding the old City Mission. This station was on E. 9th Street, at E. St. Clair in Cleveland.

Top photo is front 9th street. Below is a view from E. St. Clair in 1963 when Koolmotor was a Sohio station. Everything in both pictures is LONG GONE.

Now that area is built .. looks like 30 years ('37-'63) of tearin' stuff down, building stuff ever since

circa 1963 source: Gasolene Gospel: 1937
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circa. 1952 - Old City Mission and SOHIO/Koolmotor was still there
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circa.1970 - all that stuff, torn down
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circa. 2000 - built back up, trees where Koolmotor "Gasolene" was,
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General area today Station was where the trees are on right.
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circa 1959, Modern Motor Sales, 1400 Dorchester, Montreal Quebec.

Can't tell if building still there. Dunno even if this right place in present day Montreal.

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amazinblue82 said:
Modern Motor Sales, 1400 Dorchester, Montreal Quebec.

Can't tell if building still there. Dunno even if this right place in present day Montreal.
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Indeed: the second photo shows 1400 Dorchester Square, which AFAIK never had a dealership around.

Dorchester Blvd. is where the dealership used to be. That street was renamed Blvd René-Lévesque in 1987. There is a small bit of Dorchester Blvd. left in Westmount, but the bulk of the street runs under the new name. The old buildings are also gone -- cue the glass box now gracing 1400 René-Lévesque Blvd W:

1400 René-Lévesque Blvd W · 1400 René-Lévesque Blvd W, Montreal, QC H3G 1T6, Canada
 
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