In 1930, H.P. Sears opened this gas station in Rome, NY. It provided gas and other services to the local citizens until the 1970s. Rather than sell the property, the family kept it boarded up until 2006 when they restored it and opened it as a museum to show the way service stations once looked. It is a fun stop to make as you travel through upstate New York.
Advertisements
It looks too pretty (and clean!) to be a gas station. It must have been a fun stop!
They just use it as a museum now. The tanks were removed years ago and I’m not sure you can legally use the old pumps. But it is gorgeous.
Wow! What a blast from the past. Love the pumps.
Aren’t they great. I guess hte service station had a warehouse and they never threw anything away. Materials not used for the museum were auctioned off. It must have been quite the auction.
What a great idea to restore it, I have never seen a gas station museum.
looks like a cool place – I have never been there. 🙂
It is worth stopping by if you’re in the area. The inside is pretty small and is not open often. We happened to get lucky and it was open and the man inside told us the history of the family and stations. It was pretty interesting.
I like that the family chose to restore vs sell out for the big bucks.. It looks awesome.. That place has many stories I’m sure.
Great photos, Chris!!
Thank you…The station is in the downtown area and they passed on many offers to purchase the lot. It is really a testament to how much they honor their father’s work.