4 replies to this topic

[Keep the Show on the Road!]

From time to time I come across a little bit of esoteric road stuff that might be of interest to one or two deeply obsessive roadies like myself. This is one of those. If you have a life, you can skip the rest of this post!

The other day I picked up a vintage 1925 catalog of pre cut homes you could buy back then as a package and put up yourself. Beyond explaining a whole bunch of look alike houses from that period I had observed in the Los Angeles area, it contained on the last page a pre cut one room school house and two pre cut service stations which are shown below.

The stations are classic mid 1920’s, as you would reasonably expect. Then I recalled the station on the Yellowstone Trail at Rosalia, Washington, and pulled up the photo. Shucks! Not a precut, but no question about the architectural similarity. So if you are dating roadside artifacts (buildings, not hitchhikers) you now have a reference to the design characteristics of service stations of the mid 1920’s. Big deal, right?!

BTY, didn’t the big oil companies have their own metal pre fab stations? Maybe they still do, but I recall something like that years ago.

Keep the Show on the Road!

[Dave Reese]

Dave,
Great items. I always loved stations that looked similar to the three illustrations. I have an HO kit similar to those that may eventually appear on my layout, and recently bought a print by a favorite artist from the Colorado Springs area that will be framed and mounted in my study when the renovations are completed
( http://www.michaelba...reen Pickup.htm ).

Check out some of Michael's other works on this website as well. Great Route 66 art and much more...

[Keep the Show on the Road!]

Dave,
Great items. I always loved stations that looked similar to the three illustrations. I have an HO kit similar to those that may eventually appear on my layout, and recently bought a print by a favorite artist from the Colorado Springs area that will be framed and mounted in my study when the renovations are completed
( http://www.michaelba...reen Pickup.htm ).

Check out some of Michael's other works on this website as well. Great Route 66 art and much more...

Dave,

Thanks for the tip! I do like his work, especially the color choices. The colors are almost those on old Touring Topics (AAA) magazine covers of the 1930's or the Chevron H. M .Gousha maps of the 1950's. Definitely what they call retro, but with more saturation. I have frequently wondered why somone didn't bring back those vivid and warm tones.

Keep the Show on the Road

Edited by Keep the Show on the Road!, 21 June 2007 - 06:23 PM.

[roadhound]

This picture was taken a couple of years ago in La Grange, California on CA 132.

The roofline is not the same but it does have a lot of similarities to the magazine pictures. Its also metal which would have been easier to construct than bricks (I would think).

[Keep the Show on the Road!]

This picture was taken a couple of years ago in La Grange, California on CA 132.

The roofline is not the same but it does have a lot of similarities to the magazine pictures. Its also metal which would have been easier to construct than bricks (I would think).

Classic, classic, classic! A roadside treasure! And it confirms that someone probably was pre fabing metal gas stations.

Keep the Show on the Road