Shell gas station, New York City, New York.
Boulevard Gulf, Kingston, New York.
Hats ‘n Boots Texaco, Seattle, Washington.
Union 76 Gas, San Luis Obispo, California.
Gas station, Irrigon, Oregon.
Brother’s Mobil, Santa Monica, California.
Richfield Station, Cucamonga, California.
Gas station, Portland, Oregon.
Closer view of Boulevard Gulf, Kingston, New York.
Gordon Spencer gas station, South Pasadena, California.
Chevron Station, Brentwood, California.
Theres no gas pumps at the first Shell station
They were probably removed before the photo was taken.
Nice collection of gas station photos, all have interesting roof lines or towers, the Brentwood station tower looks like it could be a room, the ice box gulf stations look more like building design. A little different than what we have today.
That tower does hold a room, formerly rented out by writers including James Poe, who shared an Oscar for the screenplay to Around the World in 80 Days that he co-wrote in that very room.
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-08-11-we-438-story.html
They do look like building design.
Boulevard Gulf in Kingston NY is now “Cake Box Bakery”:
That’s fantastic. It pleases me to see these neat buildings still in use and well taken care of.
Know I shoudn’t; want that “Vega”, in front of the station. They were poorly made but “spiffy”.
Nice collection.
I liked the first one, the Shell with the yellow BMW, and the one in San Luis Obispo, very nice.
Canadian government ran a lot of tourism ads and billboards in the US during the 1970s. Many of the ads/billboards featured the then new ‘Canada’ wordmark. Which used the word ‘Canada’ with a small Canadian flag. The billboard beside the Portland station might be showing the wordmark. At the same time, there were a lot of Canadian Club whiskey ads/billboards running in the US. Both showed, a lot of the outdoors. Have a feeling, this may be Canadian Club, as the letter shapes are a bit off from the official wordmark. Top of the ‘C’, for example.
Another option may be Canadian Mist – they also advertised quite a bit with outdoor-related scenes, and had a font similar to the “Canada” wordmark. Canadian Mist’s slogan in those days was “Canada At Its Best” – so that could potentially explain what there’s two lines of text that start with “Cana…“.
Unfortunately, I can’t find any print ads that match this billboard’s background scene.
Excellent work Eric! You could make a solid income, with your outstanding research skills. Very good assessment here, again.
I don’t drink, so I have little knowledge of alcohol brands. Even if they are Canadian. Canadian Mist would be a great theory on your part. The Canadian government wordmark is always located in the base of advertisements. So, I’d rule it out. Excellent probability, it is perhaps a more obscure Canadian Mist ad.
The fourth photo of Union 76 Gas, San Luis Obispo, California, was obviously at the Madonna Inn. I checked Google Maps street view and it looks like it may have been a wine shop for a while, but other street views do not include the wine shop signs.
Taking a guess at some of these curbside classics:
Pic 1
73 Cadillac Coupe de Ville
Pic 2
Chevy Vega, 74 Plymouth Duster, Oldsmobile Station Wagon, and the owner’s 65 Ford Galaxy
Pic 3
75 Chevy P/U with a 69 Olds Cutlass jacked up
Pic 4
67 Mustang, 69 Mercury Marquis, 75 Ford LTD, and a two-toned VW Beetle
Pic 5
75 Chevy Caprice
Pic 6
70 Lincoln Continental on the rack for brake replacement, maybe a GMC P/U behind it, 74 Suburban on the left
Pic 7
55 Ford 100
Pic 6
73 Toyota P/U
Pic 7
Nice 75 Pontiac Gran Ville and 72 Ford 100
Pic 8
64 Plymouth Valiant
Pic 9
69 Ford Torino, 66 Chevy Camero, and 75 Chevy P/U
The Lincoln Continental on the rack is a 1963.
Pic 8 – That’s actually a ’62 Dodge Lancer…that left rear fender looks like it was crushed!
WOW! What a GAS ⛽! TANKS for a Great post of long gone buildings and cars. History often repeats, but with today’s frantic desire to rush ahead without THOUGHT 🤪, where are we going? TARIFFickly insane? 🤔
The orange BMW 2002 in the lead shot could conceivably be my cousin’s, he owned one in the 70s and lived in NYC.
I’m surprised you didn’t include at least one Amoco with a Paul Bunyan statue.
That Richfield station was built in 1915 on what would eventually become Route 66 through the Inland Empire. It has been restored to it’s original look.
Boulevard Gulf in Kingston was part of Brenn Automotive service, then became Cakebox at that location I think in the early 90s. Before that in the late 80s I’d walk past on the way home from high school and in that lot was the first Jensen Interceptor I ever saw, waiting to be worked on.
Love the Inka Orange 2002 in the NYC lede photo and the 1974 (?) Audi 100 in the last photo.
That 2002 looks well-used and beat up as was just about everything in NYC at that time. Very fitting.
Nice, these remind me of my gas station days when most were a bit scruffy like these .
The Brentwood Chevron station is still going but doesn’t look like that anymore .
-Nate
Bentwood Chevron
That last shot of the Chevron in Brentwood is still there and completely recognizable. I’m not sure when it was built, but its style is very similar to a lot of the original commercial architecture in nearby Westwood Village. Lots of towers in a Spanish revival vernacular.
Ahhh the good ol days when filling stations had character. Give aways with a fill up. Red ball for the antenna from 76, magnetic horse shoes for your rear bumper from the gas that gives you kick! Trust your car with a man man that wears a star, Texico.
Fabulous photos! Thanks for the collection. To “Slow Jow Crow,” where in NYC is this fuel station? I am guessing 1) Harlem West 125th Streete below Rou 9A or someplace south of 42nd Street on the west side, but the problem is that the overhead roadway I cannot discern if this is the old train elevated train route now known as The High Line.
The first photo was taken at 161 10th Ave. in Manhattan. The site is currently occupied by a parking… thing (not quite sure what to call it). Doesn’t look like there’s too many gas stations in that area any longer!
Then-and-now comparison shots below. There’s not much recognizable in the new photo, but the light-colored brick building in the background of the vintage shot is still standing (just obscured from view by the newer buildings). Its address is 512 W. 19th St.
Google StreetView link:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/bzL2aR5JLTzVfBH28
I’m thinking the Shell station next to the High Line in NYC was originally built for a different brand, it doesn’t look like other Shell stations of the era.
We still have those hand-painted green auto repair license signs here in New York, btw!
I do love these old service stations. So many of them had interesting architecture for such a mundane purpose. They jump out at me when driving around. It’s wonderful when they are reused for new businesses.
I always loved the old internally lit Sunoco station signs with the flashing red arrow. Those signs go for stupid money now.
For some reason, even after all my years living, still laugh when I read/ hear “Cucamonga:”.
Used to drive by the Hat & Boots in the late ’80s early ’90s. I think it was near the south Seattle neighborhood of Georgetown.
A local comedy show called “Almost Live” made good use of the location.
Great station pics… The Gulf in Kingston NY interests me. I grew up in the Hudson Valley about 15 miles south in Poughkeepsie.. My grandfather used to sell Gulf product before switching to Cities Service. The good old service station days. Love it, thanks.
Hat & Boots get my vote for obvious reasons.
I wonder if there was ever a gas station with a giant firearm on the roof….
I don’t know if that first pic was taken in early, mid or late 1970s, but if taken earlier in the decade, that 2002, maybe an early example , looks more the worse for wear than it ought too, especially compared to the 2002s I would usually see in Australia during this period.
Having said that there were quite a few like that here by the 1980s. Not built as good as a Merc, really like an Italian car built North of the Alps.
Hat & Boots I went by countless times growing up in South Seattle. On Marginal Way my dad was a machnist at the Continental Can Co. since the mid 50s almost right across the street. Out of frame is the Boots. Very impressionable as a kid!
My first job in high school,(after baling hay and walking beans),was pumping gas in the Deep Rock in Monticello, IL. 3 nights a week and weekends.It payed for my 67 chevelle I drove to school.
I can still hear the bells ringing when someone pulled in for gas
FILLER UP!!!!!!!
1971
Art Lacy’s Bomber Gas Station in Oregon is worthy of mention.
Great pics! Brought back memories of working at a Union 76 station in the late 60s. Don’t miss working under cars in the winter with salt and melted snow dripping on me…..
Recent restored Mobile station in New York
Great photos of old has station’s. I remember Gordon Spencer’s gas station was on Huntington Dr. and Collis Ave. In El Sereno Los Angeles. Gordon would fix our bicycle flat tires and we would get gas for our mini bikes in the early 70’s.