The old gas station (vintage pics)
#3
Last one...amazing.
I've seen a few segments on the early days of driving, the gas stations, diners, camp sites and motels...fascinating to see the birth of American car culture. Even now some of the smaller rural towns there are a few of these abandoned or renewed buildings use in these.
I've seen a few segments on the early days of driving, the gas stations, diners, camp sites and motels...fascinating to see the birth of American car culture. Even now some of the smaller rural towns there are a few of these abandoned or renewed buildings use in these.
#4
Lexus Fanatic
The earliest station I can remember, as a very young boy, was a Sunoco station in Phoenixville, PA, back in 1958 when my family lived there for a few months. Apparantly, Sunoco had the rotary-flip blend-adjustment handle even thta far back, though I don't remember seeing the actual handles until the 1960s. That was Sunoco's (Sun Oil Company) trademark back then.....they introduced the multi-blend gas pump where you didn't have to stop at separate pumps for leaded regular and high-test (sometimes called Ethyl back then). Sunoco, I believe, was also the first company to introduce mid-grade fuels (and multiple-grades) between the 94-Octane leaded and 100-Octane high-test.
My first steady job, BTW, out of high school, was filling up cars (and doing minor service) at one of the most crowded gas stations in the country...at a military-PX station right next to the Pentagon. I worked at the Navy gas station....the Army station was less than a mile away. We got an enormous number of military people in the area gassing up there (at a PX-discount, of course), especially when the Pentagon let out each afternoon. We pumped an average of 300,000 gallons each month (in all kinds of weather). The Army station did even more....around 330,000.
My first steady job, BTW, out of high school, was filling up cars (and doing minor service) at one of the most crowded gas stations in the country...at a military-PX station right next to the Pentagon. I worked at the Navy gas station....the Army station was less than a mile away. We got an enormous number of military people in the area gassing up there (at a PX-discount, of course), especially when the Pentagon let out each afternoon. We pumped an average of 300,000 gallons each month (in all kinds of weather). The Army station did even more....around 330,000.
Last edited by mmarshall; 05-30-11 at 01:56 PM.
#5
Italian beauty and absurdity extend to gas stations in Cuneo, Italy
Italian beauty and absurdity extend to gas stations in Cuneo, Italy
When luxury becomes a commodity, there's little left but to make commodities luxurious. This is a newly constructed gas station in Cuneo, Piemonte, Italy, designed by Damilano Studio Architects, and it's rather pleasant to look at if modern architecture is your thing. Reinforced concrete enclosing a glass wall creates staggered, latitudinal forms that are sliced by aluminum canopies front and back, with blood red fuel pumps.
We have no idea if a beautiful station sells more fuel or makes the Skittles taste better, but a little more pulchritude in one's day never hurt, did it? As to that absurdity, around back is a red steel block bearing a work of art that looks like a long armed, dog-headed man on a toilet. It is actually "a wolf howling, illuminated at night, draw[ing] attention to the urgent needs." Now that will definitely make the Skittles taste better.
http://www.autoblog.com/2011/05/30/i...s-in-cuneo-it/
#7
Lexus Test Driver
There is a gas station here in Montreal that was designed by Ludwig Mies van deer Rohe back in 1969 before he died. Now the gas station closed, but it was pretty nice.
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