California Gas Station Gets Historic Designation

LOS ANGELES — Adams Square Mini-Park Gas Station, a 1930s-era Richfield Gas Station structure, has been named to the Los Angeles Register of Historic Resources following a unanimous vote of approval in December, reported the Los Angeles Times. A celebration honoring the site will be held on July 9 from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

During the event, the gas station will be decorated with authentic objects typically found in early gas stations, plus actual Richfield gas pumps from the 1950s provided by a local collector. The event is casual and free to the public, but attendees are welcome to dress in period outfits.

"I like the vintage feel of [the gas station]," said Rondi Werner, president of the neighborhood association. "It welcomes people into the neighborhood from the north. It's become an icon on our hill."

The city's Historic Preservation Commission nominated the building, which is located at 1020 E. Palmer Ave. in Glendale, Calif., for the aesthetic and symbolic elements it represents. It has not been in use as a gas station for many years. The site's placement on the register gives it additional protections, with any proposed alternations, repairs or demolitions requiring approval by the Community Development Department and/or the Historic Preservation Commission.

"[The gas station] has architectural significance … and it reflects car-culture development," said Arlene Vidor, chair of the commission and one of the celebration's organizers.

Before the city-owned gas station was restored in 2007, the site was an empty lot with a chain-link fence.

"It was an eyesore. It was a very unwelcoming sight," Werner said. "I'm just thrilled that now it's something that's inviting, and it shows a sense of pride in the neighborhood."

In 2015, it became a small museum for a series of art installations. Artists for another series of temporary displays are currently being sought, according to the report. "There's nothing more wonderful for a historic structure than for it to come to life," said Vidor.