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The preservation of the Richfield Gas Station in Rancho Cucamongo CA.
I posted back in March of this year the work to restore the historic Cucamonga Service Station on Route 66 in Rancho Cucamonga CA.
The Route 66 Inland Empire California nonprofit group owns the propery after it was deeded to them by the Lamar sign company.
The nonprofit was formed to save the structure and members intend to renovate and rebuild the gas station to what it looked like during its business heyday in the first part of the 20th century.
“It’s really exciting to see the community want to see this gas station, this service station, come back to its golden years,” said Anthony Gonzalez, president of the Route 66 IECA.
A main goal of the organization is to turn the site of the old Richfield service station into a landmark Rancho Cucamonga tourist destination and museum for Route 66 fans and travelers from all over the world.
Known as the Cucamonga Service Station, it opened in the 1910s and provided service up to the 1970s.
The group plans to bring back the old gravity-fed pumps from the 1930s, and possibly have old signs, oil cans, souvenirs, and literature related to Route 66 for visitors and the community.
The group’s members had been concerned about the fate of the old building in recent years. A larger adjoining garage in the rear had been demolished in the recent past.
Group members say the plan is raise money with the help of the public to restore the gas station and rebuild the demolished garage. The hope is to have something open by 2015 in time for the 100 year anniversary of the station.
Lamar has donated the land to the nonprofit, and the company should get a tax break from the deal.
The group will also look to the state and federal government to assist in available grants.
I am so happy to see another historic property being not only saved – but restored to its former glory.
As we all know – I am about preserving history! ESPECIALLY Route 66 history…
You can visit their website at http://route66ieca.org/ or visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Route66IECA
