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When Gas Stations Were Truly Urban

E

Ed007Toronto

Guest
Yonge and Gerrard early 1900's. Pull up to the curb on Yonge Street and get some gas. Must of been fun for the others following behind. And the gas tank must have been under the sidewalk or in the basement of that building. Imagine that today?

gasstation.jpg
 
... and you can bet that guy sitting on the doorstep is just about to light a cigarette.
 
:lol
Why do you imagine neither the gas pumps nor the building are there any longer?

Seriously, great picture. I love looking at these old photos illustrating a very different time.
 
That Coca Cola sign would be highly collectable now. Sadly, by the time of this photograph the company no longer used cocaine as an ingredient in their syrupy "nerve tonic".
 
That's very cool, wylie, and it proves that urban gas stations can still happen. City planning has really gone downhill since the car became the central consideration. But gas stations, big box stores and shopping malls can still be urban... it just takes the will. Unfortunately, there's too little of that around.
 
Such "urban stations" are in London, too.

BTW I remember asking Jane Jacobs (yes her) about whether that's an acceptable model for Toronto; she recommended *against* it, for safety reasons et al. (Something to consider--you wouldn't want monoxide poisoning or to be blown up by living or working above a ground-level porte-cochere-type gas station...)
 
^ I strongly suspect it wouldn't be permitted here, for safety reasons. I hope that place in HK is equipped with a few strong fans to vent the fumes, and even at that I'm not sure I would want to be above it.
 
Wow, I find it amazing to see old pictures of Toronto (before 40's) What a change since then huh? LOL :)
 
A lending library in a gas station? Gas 'n read?
 
Actually, from another perspective the legacy of such gas stations works against urban vitality. Financial lenders and insurers now often require environmental assessements and otherwise hamper financing in ways that are out of line with the small scale commercial strip mom-and-pop buildings that line our streets. Why? partly for fear of buried nightmares like that gas station.
 
I don't think that's such a bad idea. When was the last time we had a gas station explode in Toronto? I'm sure with a decent exhaust system something like that could work here (maybe even incorporated into a parking garage?)
 
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