Post by scrubba on Apr 25, 2012 14:52:35 GMT -8
Since most of you seem to be in the Phoenix , Chandler area, I doubt you would be familiar with a former Houston , then Baltimore Maryland retailer . A short history is in order here . Crown oil founded in Houston back in the 1920's . They bought Central of Harris county in the thirties . At that time , the name changed into Crown- Central Oil . Their first refinery, which still operates at the foot of Houston's ship channel is visable from Loop 610, a freeway .
Meanwhile Louis Blaustein , founder of Lord Baltimore Filling staions in Baltimore Maryland was in the process of trying to obtain a larger source of oil to make his exclusive NON-Leaded premium gasoline , known as Amocogas . Yes , this is the same Amoco which some of you know as Amoco -BP.
The Blaustein family bought the troubled Crown Central oil company which had a small retail presence in Downtown Houston and moved everything to Baltimore . A network of service stations signed on to sell Crown gasolines and oils from New York to North Carolina . A distribution terminal was set up here in Richmond Virginia . Amoco was already refining a small amount of motor oil right off I-95. For the record , the refinery while not really a refinery today operated a distillery and asphalt plant at the origional site.
Crown , while not a large advertiser like it's competetor Amoco used a unique style of building called a Twin Chimney . these buildings generaly were built in the early 1950's . The one I modeled was built here in Highland Springs , just East of Richmond on Nine Mile road in 1957. I served the motoring public and tourists probably headed to Jamestown and the Virginia Beach areas until 1969.
I chose to model the place how it probably looked in 1965. There are a lot of avalible subjects that would have fit within that time frame .
The research took aproximately two years collecting the various pieces needed to do little things like signage on oil cans , pump plates and to make sure everything was "Historicly correct ".
The actual construction however took almost three years .
Meanwhile Louis Blaustein , founder of Lord Baltimore Filling staions in Baltimore Maryland was in the process of trying to obtain a larger source of oil to make his exclusive NON-Leaded premium gasoline , known as Amocogas . Yes , this is the same Amoco which some of you know as Amoco -BP.
The Blaustein family bought the troubled Crown Central oil company which had a small retail presence in Downtown Houston and moved everything to Baltimore . A network of service stations signed on to sell Crown gasolines and oils from New York to North Carolina . A distribution terminal was set up here in Richmond Virginia . Amoco was already refining a small amount of motor oil right off I-95. For the record , the refinery while not really a refinery today operated a distillery and asphalt plant at the origional site.
Crown , while not a large advertiser like it's competetor Amoco used a unique style of building called a Twin Chimney . these buildings generaly were built in the early 1950's . The one I modeled was built here in Highland Springs , just East of Richmond on Nine Mile road in 1957. I served the motoring public and tourists probably headed to Jamestown and the Virginia Beach areas until 1969.
I chose to model the place how it probably looked in 1965. There are a lot of avalible subjects that would have fit within that time frame .
The research took aproximately two years collecting the various pieces needed to do little things like signage on oil cans , pump plates and to make sure everything was "Historicly correct ".
The actual construction however took almost three years .
