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Changing Scene

Changing Scene image
Parent Issue
Ann Arbor News, October 1, 1958
Day
1
Month
October
Year
1958
Copyright
Copyright Protected
Rights Held By
Donated by the Ann Arbor News. © The Ann Arbor News.
Related
Old Lumber Facilities Along Railroad Tracks Demolished - Main / Madison Intersection, October 1958
Old Lumber Facilities Along Railroad Tracks Demolished - Main / Madison Intersection, October 1958
OCR Text

CHANGING SCENE: The demolition of several old lumber facilities near the Ann Arbor Railroad Co. tracks between E. Madison St. and S. Main St. is changing the familiar scene in this area of the city. Main St. is near the top in the photo and Madison St. is at the left. The facilities were at one time owned by the Wholesale Distributors Co., which sold out its business to the Fingerle Lumber Co. at 208 E. Madison St.

Comments No Subject

Submitted by nwbeeson on Tue, 04/02/2019 - 9:04pm

The white building with the tower is a Hi-Speed gas station. Hi-Speed was owned by the Hickock Oil Company of Toledo, Ohio. They opened a large number service stations throughout Michigan and Ohio. They were rebranded as Pure Gas Stations sometime between 1946 and 1957. There was one at the corner of Grand River Ave and Michigan Ave in East Lansing. During the late 1920s, the Pure Oil Company purchased a slight majority in Hancock Oil Company stock. I grew up in East Lansing, and there was one at the corner of Grand River Ave and Michigan Ave, about one long block from my house. There are two currently still extant, in 2019, in Ann Arbor: the one shown in this photo, which has been clade in siding, hiding the the white-glaze bricks, and houses Japanese Auto Repair; and the other housing Packard Auto Repair at 1880 Packard Rd nearly unchanged, except for paint hiding the brick.