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December 1, 2006

Antique gas station hides beneath diner

Embattled building heading to Williamsfield

By MARK TODD



Staff Writer

mtodd@starbeacon.com



CONNEAUT - - Peel away a few layers from an unwanted Conneaut diner and a hidden treasure is revealed.

Ed Wharton, who knows a few things about local artifacts as president of the Conneaut Area Historical Society, is working to polish and preserve the gem that lurks beneath the shell of the long-closed Johnson Drive-in at Broad and State streets.

Years before the little restaurant served up food, it was home to a service station. It's the tiny building's legacy as a fuel stop and taxi stand that piqued the interest of Wharton and fellow members of the Ashtabula County Antique Engine Club.

The club recently acquired the property, and the service station portion of the structure is being disassembled and shipped to property members own in Williamsfield. "There was no place around Conneaut to put it," Wharton said.

Eventually, it will be restored to it's former glory - - complete with gas pumps and accessories - - and open for display.

"We're going to try to get it back looking like a gas station," Wharton said.

A journey to Williamsfield is the latest twist involving the downtown landmark. For years, the diner was owned by Conneaut's Masonic Temple, which wanted the building gone for a parking lot expansion project.

In late summer, the Masons donated the building to a Harpersfield campground for a new life as a coffee shop. That plan crumbled when demolition work attracted the attention of city and state officials who insisted permits be obtained.

For weeks, the building sat forlornly at the busy intersection with a gaping hole in it's west side while it's fate was hashed out. The diner's sorry sight angered members of City Council.

Riding to the rescue was the Antique Engine Club, whose members were intrigued by the building's earliest origins. It's believed City Services gas station was built in the 1920s, and catered to motorists until the 1950s when it was sold, fitted with a small addition and transformed into a diner.

Finding the gas station beneath the skin isn't too difficult. The station's metal frame was assembled in pieces, like a gigantic Erector Set, and can be taken apart the same way, Wharton said.

"It unbolts in sections, like a kit," he said.

Wharton and other volunteers have been removing some of the smaller sections, including the building's stamped tin roof, but a crane may be needed to hoist some of the heavier pieces, he said.

Club members also acknowledge cooperation given their project by the city and the Masons kept the building from full-blown demolition. "It was touch and go there for awhile," Wharton said.

Knowing a unique building will live on makes the effort worthwhile, Wharton said.

"We possibly could salvage most of the building," he said. "I hate to see any building torn down."

Star Beacon Print Edition: 11/30/2006

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Antique gas station hides beneath diner
by Anonymous , , Fri Dec 01, 2006, 12:30 PM EST
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