Posted on 03/20/2011 1:33:45 PM PDT by P.O.E.
(snip)...I thought it might be fun to relive that long past era when gas stations were truly “service stations” with a look at some of the major gasoline brands as seen through some of their old marketing photos. Gas station architecture is a fascinating genre unto itself, ranging from crude, early stations with curbside pumps to the elaborate mini-Roman temples of the 1930’s. Our focus here will be on stations from the 1960’s, for two reasons – first, a decent number of them still exist, albeit with heavy modifications and rarely under their original brands, and secondly, I’m sure that some of you remember these great stations in their heyday. (snip)
(Excerpt) Read more at pleasantfamilyshopping.blogspot.com ...
Always loved the “Sinclair” gas station sign with the brontosaurus when I was a kid.
Interesting, thanks. I remember buying gas at 19.9 cents/gal during a gas war in the mid ‘60’s... and worked at a Clark Super 100 station.
I worked at a Sinclair in Cleveland in the 60s as a teen.
We really did do full service back then.
Most everybody paid with cash. I think we took credit cards but it was very uncommon.
We still have drinking glasses they used to give away
They would wash the windows and check the oil at the ones we went to...remember $5 would fill up that 55 Buick
We didn`t even know what a Muzzie was
I got gas for $0.13 9/10 during a gas war in the San Fernando Valley about 1954-55. Hard to believe time has passed by so fast!
I remember my dad rolling down the window, handing out a bill and saying 'Give me a buck's worth of regular'. Now- if you can even find a station that'll pump it for you- they'd just smirk and come back with a shot glass full of gasoline.
Now that my nostalgia has been triggered I can remember the Richfield gas stations here in California. They would give out decals of an eagle. Kids would put the eagle decals on their bicycle seats. This was about 1948-50. Richfield later became part of ARCO.
Being born in ‘66 I barely remember full service stations,
There was one here in my town until just a year or two ago, but it cost more to go there than a self service. I remember gas at 55 cents a gallon, and my old dad filling our 60 impala up at a Hess station.
Somehow (by the grace of God) I managed to “survive” nuclear test fall-out, leaded gasoline fumes, playing with blobs of mercury from broken thermometers, drinking Lake Erie water, and eating Lake Erie fish every Friday in Lent.
Appreciate this. One thing I always used to enjoy was the architectural variety of the decades, whether regarding gas stations, grocery stores, five-and-dimes or whatnot. From the 1920s to 30s/40s/50s/60s, everything from each decade had such a different, distinct style and ambiance. And when I was a kid, you could find examples of each all still around, co-existing. It just made for an endlessly fascinating backdrop from a visual perspective. But nowadays, that seems wiped away, taken over by a blocky Wal-Mart/quickie-mart style sameness as far as the eye can see, which I frankly find rather depressing.
In mid Michigan in the 60s there was a brand called “Bay”.
Supposedly their gas was a byproduct of some industrial process at Dow Chemical.
They always had the lowest prices and sparked “gas wars”.
Urban Blend Cafe in Oakland, CA (333 Broadway) and Espresso Roma Corp in Berkeley, CA (1549 Hopkins Street) are both former service stations converted to coffeehouses. The Espresso Roma one appears to date from the 1930s (still has that streamlined Art Deco style).
In 1960, the average national salary was around $4,000. Today, the average salary is around $41,000. In terms of purchasing power and wages, gas is up slightly, but not as much as we tend to think.
One of the coolest memories I have of the gas stations of the 60’s was the stuffed-animal-like tiger tail that my mom got with a fillup at Exxon??? was it? It had a loop that you placed around the neck of the gas tank fillup and closed the door on the loop, leaving the tiger in your tank showing.
Up until about six or seven years ago, there was a 1940s style rural gas station along Highway 395 in Walker, California with dirt driveways next to the pumps. I filled up there many times in the past. The building is still there but the pumps are gone.
I remember scrapping together 50cents to put gas in the jalopy so we could ride all night from one car hop(remember them?) to another and hang out. As I recall .50 got you about 2 gallons sometimes more if there was a gas war going on(remember THOSE!) That was enough to get you about 25 miles or so in those gas guzzlers we drove.
Hey buddy, where’s my Green Stamps?
Steak Knives...
Inflatable Dino toy?
Cleaning the windshield with Coke (while travelling South of the Mason-Dixon Line).
Free Air for your tires.
Uniformed attendants.
Toothless perverts eyeing your mother’s legs while they cleaned your windshield...
All gone...
Ordinarily during 1954-55 regular gas was around $0.19 9/10 to $0.21 9/10 if my memory serves me correctly. The $0.13 price quoted was during a “gas war.” I worked in a restaurant next door to a standard station and made $1.00/hour as a bus boy.
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