Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums Showcase and Stories, Petroliana Way Back Then, Back Then, and Now Grand Rapids Mi.

I had an opportunity to visit our city's archive department. When they assessed properties, they'd photograph them at the time. I was able to see many of these property photos in their files. I'll share some then and nows with you. You'll have to excuse the poor quality on some of these, I had to photograph a photograph.

A Mobile Station

Unfortunately I didn't get an opportunity to take a photo of this one before it was torn down about two years ago, but here's what it was.

Four Star. A hometown hero!

Crystal Flash

Marvel.

Gulf to four star, to BP then to Amoco.

Gulf. First is original picture. I took the middle picture in 2015. This one had the most dramatic transformation into a chicken sandwich shop.

This one was torn down in 2018.

I think this one started out as a Standard at one point. Then it became a Speedway

This one was a Sinclair. I found the original photo on the public library website, and that's what inspired me years ago. I took the second photo in 2015. At the time, the road this station was on was closed for replacement. There is a railroad crossing right out in front of this station. While the road was closed, the railroad was rebuilding the crossing as well. I rode my Harley through the construction after hours to get the picture. I tried to cross the railroad, but my bike got hung up. The frame was caught on the rail just forward of the kickstand. I started to panic a bit when the bike was stuck solid on a rail halfway over the railroad crossing. It took all my strength to lift the front wheel and shove the bike back up, over, and off the railroad crossing, but I got it free.

This station was just torn down this week. Although it is sad to see a classic old station go, this one was in VERY bad shape. It had been boarding up for many years. The walls were leaning in several different directions, and it seemed like it could collapse at any moment. I don't think there was much hope for it's restoration or reuse.

Sad news on that Sinclair, but from what you say it sounds like it was bound to be its fate. Thanks for posting these, I like then and now type posts.
Darin

Here's an old Standard. It was renovated at some time, probably the late 70s or early 80s. Hard to know when it closed. What's amazing about this one is it is right in the heart of "Medical Mile", an area of downtown with many high rise hospitals and specialized medical facilities. It is only half a block from the largest hospital in west Michigan. Seems odd it has not been demolished for it's land. I know someone is using it as a storage building, as once and a while I see building material in it's lot and the doors open with things stored inside. Some of siding has come off, showing the old porcelain underneath.

Here's another that was a Standard in the 70s, but the architecture suggests it may have started life as a Mobil. This station was nicely renovated and is living a new life as an auto detailing shop.

Here's a Sinclair. After it was a gas station it operated as a body shop. It was recently renovated and functions as a community center for an area of town where major housing and commercial centers are being built.

Another view of the Sinclair

I found another photo of the Four Star. Turns out it was a Leonard. Leonard was based in mid Michigan, and was a fairly large company. Later they became Total, which closed up in the late 90s I think.

Here's an old Sinclair. I couldn't find a photo of it back in time, but wanted to share it just the same. It was renovated into a successful taco shop.

I believe this one may have been a Mobil. It wasn't operating as a gas station when the photo was taken, but still stands today. It was renovated into a hamburger restaurant, which after many years closed when the owner retired. It was added onto, and became a bereakfast-brunch restaurant. It is located across the street from the Sinclair taco shop in the previous post.

Here's one I have a bit of a personal connection to. This station started life as a Standard. Later it became a repair garage. It sat vacant for some time after that.
In the early 2000s the station was purchased and was one of the first to be repurposed into a restaurant. It became a Barbecue restaurant. While I was in high school, I worked for a neon sign shop. We were hired to build the neon sign for the new restaurant. I assembled the neon clock above the main sign and helped install both. I remember climbing on the roof to wire the "Sandman's" sign. I can still remember the ribs the owner gave us for lunch after the sign was lit. That lasted until some time in the early 20-teens. After that it was a Little Caesars pizza for a while, until that closed in 2020.
The station is now being remade into a coffee shop and bakery.

This classic Sunoco became a repair shop sometime in the 70s. As long as I can remember, it's been closed down. A few years ago it was remodeled into this really nice work and event space. It is across the street from the Leonard/Four Star station discussed earlier in this thread.