When I started my road-trip hobby, I was entirely interested in finding where the old roads used to go. Major roads were often straightened, widened, and even moved during the 20th century, and I like finding remnants of the original paths.
Along the way, I started to notice what was built along the roadside, especially when they looked old. There are plenty of old houses at the roadside, of course, but also things built specifically to serve the road, like gas stations.
This building used to be a gas station.
I’m nearly certain it was, however. I don’t know for sure, as I’ve not seen historic photos of this building with pumps out front. But after having seen hundreds, maybe thousands, of old gas stations along the roadside, this building looks for all the world like one. It was probably built in the 1920s or 1930s. The gas pumps were probably in front of the building’s central section. The two end sections were probably service bays.
Who knows when this building ceased to be a gas station, but when I made this photo it contained a realty office and a computer repair shop. That’s called “adaptive reuse” in the preservation biz. I looked this place up today and found that the building is now a pizza restaurant. Adaptive reuse continues!
You’ll find this building on State Road 37 in Orleans, Indiana.
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