"A century after first opening, the Cucamonga Service Station is once again in business.
But this time around the 100-year-old gas station along Route 66 will serve as a visitors center and museum about The Mother Road.
Nearly two and half years ago, the nonprofit Route 66 IECA embarked on an ambitious journey to renovate and rebuild the gas station to make it look like it did during its heyday in the first half of the 20th century.
On Wednesday, the public finally got to see the finished product.
“This was something that had been sitting in disrepair for decades and decades,” said Mayor Dennis Michael. “When I was kid growing up in this community, my father used to come here to get his fuel oil to heat our home. To me its a special blessing and I wish he was here today to see it.
The Cucamonga Service Station, one of the few historic sites left on the Inland Empire’s stretch of Route 66, was given a new color scheme: the lower half of the building is a bright blue, with a red stripe in the middle, and topped with yellow, akin to the past.
Then there’s the iconic Richfield sign atop the station. On Wednesday, the organization also unveiled two bright blue and yellow Richfield gas pump replicas from the early 1900s.
Route 66 IECA was able to rehabilitate the station by holding countless fundraisers as well as donations from businesses, said Anthony Gonzalez, president of the group.
“This is thanks to all the people, all the volunteers who participated, donated their time, their materials, their expertise and the community who came out and supported all the fundraisers,” he said." (
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