Old gas stations

[Ghostsoldier]

The whole idea of a "business coupe" was its enormous trunk, which was designed for traveling salesmen to use for their sample cases or other merchandise. If you line up a coupe of the Era against a four-door sedan of the same make, they've got the same wheelbase, but the entire section of the car behind the front seat in the sedan is the trunk area on the coupe.

Many business coupes had a removable plywood panel covering the opening between the front seat and the trunk, and this could be taken out to allow sufficient room for the car's owner to sleep in the trunk.

Rob

 

[Ghostsoldier]

Rob

 

[Fading Fast]

1) Pure sports car or not (we've had that discussion before) - that is one really sweet looking car
2) love the early art decade building in the immediate background

In the early '00s, I had a car whose battery died in a parking garage and it cost me 10 bucks to use the portable charger from a local garage. My handy-dandy internet inflation calculator puts that as pretty close to the 75 cents charged at Bob Alton's. Funny how close the numbers are despite being 70-plus years apart.

\

Another humble but lovable Art Deco gem with a wonderful wrap-around window. Also, love when buildings are put on "quirky" sized or located lots (probably means more to me since I live in a city that is 90% grid based - that get's boring).

 

[LizzieMaine]

"Excuse me, is there a Gulf station nearby?"

 

[Fading Fast]

Just caught the "Billiards" sign off to the left in the Gulf Station pick. Tell me you couldn't see Paul Newman from "The Hustler" walking into that place?

 

[Ghostsoldier]

Rob

 

[Ghostsoldier]

Rob

 

[Stearmen]

Rob

This reminds me, every photo I ever posted on this site is gone thanks to Photobucket!

 

[Ghostsoldier]

Yeah, Photobucket has become ransomware, basically...400 bucks a year to support 3rd party hosting.

I've got a lot of photos stored there, but I'm not paying that extortion...I'll remove them back to an external hard drive, and find another photo hosting site.

Rob

 

[Ghostsoldier]

Rob

 

[2jakes]

This reminds me, every photo I ever posted on this site is gone thanks to Photobucket!

I have until high noon before PB starts flooding my uploads.

 

[BobHufford]

Purity Oil, Commercial Street, Springfield, Missouri, 1930.

More recently.

 

[Ghostsoldier]

Rob

 

[2jakes]

Purity Oil, Commercial Street, Springfield, Missouri, 1930.

More recently.

It just dawned on me why I like the photos from the past more than todays.
Look at those two buildings on each side in comparison.
It’s not only here, but everywhere else today! I need to start looking
for a time-traveling DeLorean and go back and stay there. No kidding!

 

[Fading Fast]

It just dawned on me why I like the photos from the past more than todays.
Look at those two buildings on each side in comparison.
It’s not only here, but everywhere else today! I need to start looking
for a time-traveling DeLorean and go back and stay there. No kidding!

View attachment 78592

Could not agree more. There seemed to be a time when architecture for smaller buildings even humbler establishments was thoughtful and at least aspired to be uplifting.

Those two buildings on either side look like '60s or '70s affairs - a nadir of architecture.

To be fair to today's architecture, some regular buildings are getting better, but it's hit or miss (with some pretty awful misses out there).

Also, in the time of that earlier photo, it seemed that owners considered the surrounding architecture and made an effort for their building to be consistent (that or classic Greek and Roman architecture was all anyone was doing then, so it all naturally harmonized).

 

[Ghostsoldier]

Rob

 

[2jakes]

Rob

My folks had one in this two-tone color.


1957 Ford Fairlane with 272 Engine.

 

[BobHufford]

Hultsman Oil, Springfield, MO.

 

[Ghostsoldier]

Sad to see the vacant lot.

Rob

 

[Ghostsoldier]

Rob