Leo and Ed's gas station at 770 Lafayette Avenue NE is slated to be torn down soon, so let's take a look at the building's 96 year history. I don’t know when it's coming down, but when Don Geske drove by it a few days ago there was yellow tape wrapped around it and a lady typing on a laptop in a Grand Rapids City car parked out back. She told him it would be torn down soon, and upon asking when, she said "Whenever it is, it won't be too soon."
The gas station was built in 1928 for Lorimer E. Ives and Ray W. Volkers on the east side of Lafayette Avenue just south of where the Grand Trunk Railway tracks cross both Lafayette and Bradford Street, selling Sinclair gasoline under the name "Ives & Volkers." They were open for business by at least January 8, 1929, as that's the date their first Grand Rapids Press ad appeared.
The first photo was taken on October 2, 1946, but likely looked pretty much just like this when built in 1928 with the 15' x 18' office, 15' x 18' canopy and awkward-shaped tapered garage with the rear wall running parallel to the angled railroad tracks behind it.
There's a grease pit over to the right of the station, too. Ain't that cool? I've loved them since I was about 3, and I still do. Some stations had them inside, but early pits, like this one, were outside. For those who may not know, a grease pit is a narrow rectangular hole in the ground with cement block sides and steps at one end. The car parks over it on slightly elevated tracks straddling the hole, and the mechanic goes down in the pit to work under the car much like with a lift, but without the expense. The greatest downsides, of course, is that the dirt bottom would soon became saturated with grease and oil and made worse when it rained and the ever-present risk of someone falling in.
John Farrar and Leo Brochu bought the station in May of 1951 and renamed it John & Leo's Service. They carried on about just as it was, continuing with Sinclair gasoline as well. The second photo shows the station during this period in about 1962 with a '61 Chevy in the garage and a motorcycle, a '51 Ford and '60 Dodge to the left. Note the ramps to the grease pit at the right, too.
Ed Scully took over as Leo's new partner in 1963 when John Farrar retired, with the station now becoming "Leo & Ed's." 10 years later, in 1973, the new garage was added to the southeast corner behind the office and south of the original garage which remained, too. The third photo was taken in October of 1973, shortly after the new garage was completed. That '72 Impala at the far right edge of the photo is about where the grease pit had been but was filled in by now, perhaps replaced with a hydraulic lift in the new garage.
Sinclair merged with the Atlantic Richfield Co. (ARCO) in 1969 with most stations switching to the ARCO brand name, but the gasoline was the same for both brand names. Some stations hung on to aspects of the Sinclair brand, in particular the Dino the dinosaur logo, although it looks like Leo & Ed's made the full switch as per the ARCO name on the building and nary a dinosaur in sight. Regardless, Leo & Ed's soon switched to Standard gasoline.
By 1981, most stations had or were preparing to become self-service stations. Well, except for Leo & Ed's, that is. "Old-fashioned service is how we survive" Ed said in a May of 1981 article, and added that they have no pressure from the oil company because they own their own building. Pointing to an elderly woman being serviced outside, Ed said "She's been a loyal customer for years, and probably doesn’t know a thing about an automobile. We don’t want her and others who come in here all dressed up to pump their own gas." Leo and Ed made sure your windshield was clean, your oil was not low and your tires were not soft, too.
Standard Oil began changing their stations' names to Amoco in the early '70s, with the company's name officially changed to Amoco by 1985. Stations had quite a confrontation with Amoco in June of 1985 though, when Amoco demanded that all stations be open seven days a week. Some balked because of their religious beliefs and others simply because, well, nobody wants to work seven days a week. Many stations were owned by Amoco so they had no options, but independently owned stations like Leo & Ed's did, with most switching to Baron gasoline. It was actually an easy transition for Leo & Ed's, as Van Manen Oil on Lake Michigan Drive was already the supplier for both Amoco and Baron brands. Heck, for all we know, it may have even been the same gas! I don’t know what year Leo & Ed's closed, but in 2010 "Leo & Ed's Auto Service" was operating at 1576 Plainfield NE.
The fourth photo is a drawing of the building and area from Grand Rapids City assessor's information from 1973, which includes the garage addition at the southeast (top right) corner. Newspaper photos scan poorly, but the fifth photo is a scan of Leo & Ed from the May 29, 1981, Press. The Press caption reads: "There's always a big smile from Leo Brochu, left, and Ed Scully."
Don Geske took the last seven photos a few days ago to show what the station looks like today, and I made a comment on each one to identify it. Looks like a truck really clobbered the door on the north end of the original garage as it pushed in the door and caved in the bricks beside it. You can see it in the first three and sixth of Don's photos.
The fourth, fifth and last photos show a good view of the newer garage added to the southeast corner behind the office in 1973. You can also see the area where the old grease pit had been, although its exact location is not clearly defined.
What a great reminder it is of gas stations from the past and what good ol' personal service was like. Thanks to Lorimer Ives, Ray Volkers, John Farrar, Leo Brochu and Ed Scully, for the great service you provided to our grandparents, parents and to us over the past 96 years.
Photo 1: Grand Rapids Public Library
Photos 2, 3, 4: Grand Rapids City Archives and Records Center
Photos 6 to 12: Don Geske
Thanks to Sue Bogard and Don Geske.
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