Hi, I bought this abandoned gas station in a tax foreclosure situation, and I’m planning to convert it into an office building for my roofing company. I’m looking for ideas, and I know there’s a lot of brilliant, creative people on this board.
I love old stuff, so I need some kind of vintage theme. I have a couple ideas. I was thinking convert it to a sloped, slate roof and give it kind of a colonial look like the attached pictures. But that would be pretty expensive, especially with the big increase in building material prices. So I’m looking for ideas on other themes. Like maybe World War II era. I saw a picture of a building that had what looks like a World War II torpedo suspended from a sign on the front of the building (pictured) that I thought was cool and thought what if a guy built a theme around that. Or another ideas would be 50s diner look, or a 50s or 60s car dealership look. Or I should do a vintage gas station theme? I’m pretty wide open to ideas at this point. Does anybody have any suggestions?

Thanks, Joel

The pumps & tanks could be an expensive deal depending on the city & county.
I'm sure there are lots of photos of old business buildings on the web to comb through to see what you like.
I know there are old diner & old service station sites.
I'm guessing it's more about an interesting, attractive & functional site than a retail storefront ?

I think that's a practice bomb, torpedos I've seen are much longer.

Dang. That’s a pretty good looking abandoned gags station.

Ones you see around here are a old crusty and a mess.

Awesome project, that looks like a lot of fun.
Watch old films and spend retarded amounts of money on things that don't work would be my advice.

I did factor the cost of removing the tanks and pumps into the purchase price. But I might not have to remove the tanks, I might be able to just fill them with sand.
We don't have any retail trade for the roofing company. It's just going to be office space. The main purpose of doing something different is just for my own satisfaction. I've been in business for over 40 years, and I've always done things the most practical, cost efficient way. But now I want to finally do something a little bit more fun and different.

Correct - a 100lb practice bomb, pretty common and very cool looking. Torpedoes are huge.

https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Upcoming/Photos/igphoto/2000490953/



The one on ebay seems very expensive but they sold 53 of them so maybe not. i think I paid $100 for mine but I bought it long ago.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/MK15-MOD-4-NAVY-PRACTICE-BOMB-100-LB-INERT-ORIGINAL/274251029370?hash=item3fdaa29b7a:g:CTsAAOSwgPVcgXI9

A modern design (modern actually starting pre ww2) might be cheaper so you can leave the roof flat and skip several of those $$$$ façade materials shown. What you have there looks very expensive.

Build an art deco style facade around the perimeter of the roofs. Changes the look considerably without the need to a lot of structural change.

Since it was a gas station, I'm thinking making it look like another gas station would be the easiest route.

good ideas, thank you. I think I will do some searching on the web for vintage filling station ideas. I remember some old stations in the 60s. Most of them didn't have canopies, but the ones that did had a very slender facia on the canopy. Maybe I could remove the big tall fascia from this canopy, and from the main building, and try and make it look more vintage and then add in a bunch of vintage decor.

I was going to say too about it looking good for an abandoned station.
If if were mine I'd build walls around the pump canopy to get another building out of it.

It was built in about 82, but has been vacant for about 10 years due to the county taking forever to do the environmental testing and get it on the market. Then they started out asking way too much and it took a year and a half to get them down to my price. There are 4 other stations, in a town of 4500, and they are bigger and more modern so reopening is not viable.

drive-up bourbon bar...

I don't know about your state, but in Arizona an official closure of an underground storage tank (UST) system, whether by removal or filling with an inert substance, requires collection and laboratory analysis of soil samples beneath the USTs, dispensers, and product lines. Closure activities, environmental sampling, and reporting has to be done by State certified firms under supervision of state regulators and the local Fire Marshall.

What environmental testing did the county do? I'm thinking more testing may be required to "close" the system and if it was a "leaker" things can get expensive.

Check out this link to the "Hot Rod Orthodontic Office" . Some amazing ideas:
https://www.hotrodhotline.com/content/hot-rod-orthodontic-office-conway-arkansas#.YC-0OTKSlPY

[spoiler][/spoiler]

I'll be moving there in a few months. Too bad I don't need braces.

If no one has said... www.garagejournal.com , everything there from $250 sheds to 2.5 million dollar and up builds

How did it all turn out? Did you finish the remodel? I'm in the midst of a similar project myself with our office here in Lafayette, so that's why I'd like to see some photos. We're going for a 50s-style vibe as well.
I want something like this:

I just finished the construction phase a few days ago. It was quite an effort, but I'm thrilled with how it turned out. The commercial cleaning company, Going Green Commercial Cleaning, did a great job with the post-construction cleanup, leaving the space spotless. If anyone might need such services in Lafayette, I recommend them.

Now, I'm ready for the next phase: design.
From vintage furniture pieces to retro decor accents, I'm scouring for items that capture the essence of the 50s. I'm particularly drawn to the sleek lines and bold colors of that era, so I'm including plenty of those elements in the design.

I want something like this:

if i ever did an office decor, it would be a disaster, just like my desk at work was............

The outside currently looks the same, minus the gas pumps. There has been a LOT of red tape with the City. One person in particular, that that person was removed from office, and just recently Joel was able to move forward on the remodel. Yes many years later... The inside of the office space is taking shape. New wall are up, and taping will begin soon.

As for decor? Joel has enough crap to fill the place up. LOL!!!