History

Then and Now: Minute Service Station No. 2

by Kent Boese   •   April 17, 2009 4:01 pm

Then (left): Circa 1923, the new gasoline and accessories station at the intersection of Georgia and Kansas Avenues and Upshur Street, NW. The station is flanked on the east by Georgia Avenue, on the west by Kansas Avenue and north by Upshur Street, making it one of the most accessible filling stations in DC. In the center of the large triangular tract is an attractive building of stucco and brick with tiled roof and canopies extending over the wide driveways. This photo also appeared on Shorpy.

Now (right): Still a gas station but now a Shell. Clearly, this is an example where progress was anything but. The station and bays do not fit the trapezoidal lot as well as the original structure.

Kent Boese posts items of historic interest primarily within the District. He's worked in libraries since 1994, both federal and law, and currently works on K Street. He lives in the Park View neighborhood, and is the force behind the blog Washington Kaleidoscope.