1960s Full Service Gulf Station
Reed Brothers Dodge Gulf Gas Station
This is a circa 1968 photo of the Reed Brothers Dodge Gulf Gasoline station. The famous Gulf “ice box” design dates back to late 1930’s and there were probably more of these built than any single one of the later Gulf designs. A Coca Cola machine is visible in front of the white Dodge Dart parked in front of the service bay. The sign in the grass to the right of the blue ’58 Plymouth (Belvedere?) reads, “We’re Making Deals on Gulf Tires”.
The office/sales area occupied the right corner, facing the adjacent road Rockville Pike. Attached to the office are two quick service bays with roll-down doors. Each bay of the bays served a specific purpose. One bay contained a hydraulic lift to raise cars for the servicing of tires, lubrication, and underside parts. A central in-floor drain to catch water runoff during car washes was utilized in the second bay. The station also contained a men’s and women’s restroom. A concrete ramp on the left led up to the second floor Auto Glass and Body Repair Shop.
The below 1940 architectural plan and rendering of a Gulf service station epitomize the defining design characteristics of this service station type.
1940 architectural plan and rendering of a
Gulf service station
Reed Brothers Dodge was the first Gulf gasoline dealer in the Washington, D.C. area. In 1915, they began selling gas at their original location in Old Rockville at the triangle at Veirs Mill Road and Rockville Pike. Their first gas station consisted of a single pump. Later, in addition to gas, they carried a full line of Gulf lubricants, Goodyear tires, Willard batteries, complimentary road maps, free air and water, and many other well known brands of merchandise to meet their patrons needs.
That Good Gulf Gasoline
In 1918, the Gulf Refining Co. adopted a brick and tile roof station with canopy supported by four brick columns covering two front driveways. “That Good Gulf” was one of the Company’s marketing slogans for a number of years during the twenties and thirties.
Below are architectural changes in the Reed Brothers Dodge front that can be seen in the photos below taken in the late 1920s. A second story was added to the showroom with a glazed front looking out onto Rockville Pike on the right. A modern drive-through canopy was also added along with new gasoline pumps and Dodge Car and Truck signage. (click on images to enlarge)
New showroom, canopy and gasoline pumps added in the late 1920s. The Alemite sign in front indicates that Reed Brothers also sold and used the Alemite lubricating system.
A close-up view can be seen of the new gasoline pump-island with four pumping units along with the motor oil dispensers used at that time. The old pump island can be seen to the left along with a new “That Good Gulf Gasoline” sign. In the background is the old St Mary’s Church and Cemetery in Rockville.
That Good Gulf Gasoline drive-through filling station. Note the unpaved dirt road on Rockville Pike and trolley tracks.
Dodge Brothers Motor Car and Graham Brothers Truck signage. Note the onlookers and firetruck on the right by the trolley track.
According to the Gulf Oil Company, the early history of the company from 1909-19 is as follows. “When Gulf was born in 1901 with an oil discovery in Spindletop, Texas, the primary commercial fuel was coal. By 1903, the age of mechanization had arrived and it was now up to the petroleum industry to keep pace, for the age could not proceed without it. Gasoline development, into which Gulf invested millions of dollars, responded to advances in automotive technology. Within a dozen years of Spindletop, Gulf scored notable firsts with the world’s first service station, complimentary Gulf road maps and over water drilling at Ferry Lake. In 1917, the Gulfstream went into World War I service, along with the rest of Gulf’s tanker fleet.”
Reed Brothers Texaco Filling Station
The 1917 photo below is the Reed Brothers original Rockville Garage located at the intersection of Veirs Mill Road and Rockville Pike. To the right is a Texaco Gasoline Filling Station sign. One very tall Texaco branded fuel pump can be seen in this photo along with two Texaco Petroleum refueling trucks. The gas pump globe on the top advertizes the gas company name and logo. Parked in front is a line-up of some very early Dodge Brothers Motor Vehicles.
Also visible in the photo are trolley tracks that went along Rockville Pike and Montgomery Avenue to Laird Street and back again. From 1900 – 1935, the trolley cars went past Reed Brothers Dodge as they traveled up Rockville Pike.
At some point between prior to 1920, Reed Brothers Dodge changed over from selling Texaco and became a Gulf Gasoline dealer. Reed Brothers had the first Gulf gas station in the still-rural Washington D.C. area. (click on images to enlarge)
1917 Original Rockville Garage with 2 story addition. Note the Texaco Filling Station signage and the Texaco Petroleum fuel truck refilling the single pump in front.
Below, a Texaco Petroleum tanker is delivering its load of fuel to Reed Brothers in this circa 1917 photo. The delivery driver seems to be wearing his best suit on this job, something that you don’t see these days at all.
Texaco was founded in Beaumont, Texas as the Texas Fuel Company in 1901. A circa 1917 Texaco Petroleum Truck sits in front of Reed Brothers Dodge after delivering its load of fuel.
This Gasoline Filling Station sign is from the teens and is the same logo seen in the photo above.
Fill’er Up: Reed Brothers Full Service Gasoline Station
Do you remember full service gas stations? I sure do. As a baby boomer growing up in the 60s, I remember Reed Brothers Dodge as a full service gasoline station. The uniformed attendant would greet the customer by name, fill the car up with gas, wipe the windshield, check the tire pressures and check under the hood. Back then, getting a tank of gas could take up to 10-15 minutes per person. I used to love to hear the bell ding after every gallon pumped. Gulf had orange foam balls you could place on your car’s antenna and they also gave away things like pens, key chains, calendars and road maps.
Reed Brothers Dodge was the first Gulf gasoline dealer in the Washington, D.C. area. In 1915, they began selling gas at their original location in Old Rockville at the triangle at Veirs Mill Road and Rockville Pike. Their first gas station consisted of a single pump. Later, in addition to gas, they carried a full line of Gulf lubricants, Goodyear tires, Willard batteries, complimentary road maps, free air and water, and many other well known brands of merchandise to meet their patrons needs. Reed Brothers discontinued offering this product line when they relocated to their new facility in November 1970.
Below are two previously unpublished photos of Reed Brothers full service Gulf gas station. Both photos were taken at its original location in Old Rockville at the triangle at Veirs Mill Road and Rockville Pike. (click on photos for larger images)
Reed Brothers Dodge canopied Gulf Gas Station circa 1936. A closer look reveals the price of gasoline as 15 cents. On the right attached to a telephone pole is a sign pointing the way to Olney. In addition to the Gulf signage there is a small, barely visible sign below that promotes, “Clean Rest Rooms”.
Below is a mid-1960’s photo of the Reed Brothers Dodge Gulf Gasoline station. The famous Gulf “ice box” design dates back to late 1930’s and there were probably more of these built than any single one of the later Gulf designs. A Coca Cola machine is visible in front of the white Dodge Dart parked in front of the service bay. The sign in the grass on the right reads, “We’re Making Deals on Gulf Tires”.
Reed Brothers Dodge Gulf Gas Station circa mid-1960
Rockville’s First Gulf Gasoline Dealer
Reed Brothers Dodge operated their own full service Gulf gasoline and service station. In fact, the company was the first Gulf gas dealer in the Washington, D.C. area, selling gas at its original location in Old Rockville at the triangle at Viers Mill Road and Rockville Pike. In addition to gas, they carried a full line of Gulf lubricants, Goodyear tires, Willard batteries, complimentary road maps, free air and water, and many other well known brands of merchandise to meet their patrons needs. Reed Brothers discontinued offering this product line when they relocated to their new facility in November 1970.
1915 Rockville Garage First Gas Station – A Single Pump
Reed Brothers Dodge 1922
Note the “modern” gas pumps. The Rockville Fairgrounds are beyond the boarded fence.
“That Good Gulf Gasoline” drive-through filling station circa 1920
In front is a large sign that reads “That Good Gulf Gasoline”. In the background is the old St Mary’s Church and Cemetery in Rockville. Gulf scored notable a “first” with the world’s first drive-in service station.
1936 After World War II with a New Front
Reed Brothers celebrated the end of World War II with another new facelift and a whole new look.
Reed Brothers Dodge mid-1960s
Due to changes in the highway, Reed Brothers began an extensive remodeling and rebuilding program. Two-thirds of the original location at the junction of then Route 240 and Viers Mill Road was razed and a modern Gulf Service Station was erected.
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Reed Brothers Dodge History (1915-2012) by Jeanne Gartner is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
Reed Brothers Dodge History 1915 – 2012 
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