Gearhead Heaven: 1926

[furrbear]

From mhkrabat. For Phil (greatbearmd), Dan (danthered), and all the other GearHeads - Gearhead Heaven 1926

Washington, D.C., circa 1926. "Standard Automotive Supply Co., 14th & S streets N.W."
National Photo Company Collection glass negative.
(Click to be transported)

Thanks, Mark.

Comments

[mhkrabat.livejournal.com]

Amazing stuff innit? I've frittered away hours looking at this site...

[greatbearmd.livejournal.com]

This is the comment I just left at Mark's LJ:

Yes, indeed it's heaven. And not too much different than the Laurel Automotive store that I (still) get most of my parts since before I was driving. None of the chain auto parts places could hold a candle to these shops, and they still can be found in most areas. Serious shops where the counter guys worked their entire careers most often, not those terminal jockeys that get lost once the computer can no longer look for the part number. I think Laurel Automotive has been in their digs since the 30s or 40s, and it's delightful in it's antiquity and usability. They are a NAPA outlet, but still rather independent in many cases. They grudgingly moved to electronic catalogs because the old books were no longer being published, yet they still have a rack at least six continuous feet long with books that have been in there for more than 20 years. Since I'm such a regular customer over the years I have full run of the place. Though the place is a narrow building (probably 15 feet at best) in the midst of a strip, it seemingly runs back for miles, with a basement full of stock (and machinery like the brake lathe I would use until recently getting one of my 'own') and a second floor with more stock plus offices. Additions take the building back to nearly the end of the block. What they dont have they can get in no time if the warehouse has it, and there will be the rare order that takes a few days for oddball stuff or imported parts. This is the place where you can go to get your parts and spend half a day rag chewing and mangossiping. I bet that creaky old building can tell even more tales.

I will be very sad whenever it's gone.

These days, that area has various bars, restaurants and the occasional shi-shi gallery or grocery run by some Koreans or some such. But that area still shows it's roots as an automotive service strip as many of the buildings still have their roll-up doors or still show signs they had them. In the case of a couple restaurants, the doors roll up to bring the sidewalk cafe into the building.

[blt4success66.livejournal.com]

That's really cool, thanks for sharing.

[shirtlifterbear.livejournal.com]

I lived about four blocks from that very spot. I'm trying to recall the corner!

Thanks for posting!

I adore old photos like that.

[anziulewicz.livejournal.com]

Some of those old photo archives are invaluable. I believe I found the photo below in the Library of Congress online archive:
http://www.loc.gov/shop/index.php?action=cCatalog.showItem&cid=23&scid=155&iid=3253&PHPSESSID=98
It's a early 1940s photo of a grocery store in Washington, DC, and it's one of my favorites. I wonder what the same streetcorner looks like today ... if the intersection even exists.



It turns out this same photo can be found at the archive you cited:
http://www.shorpy.com/node/117