Cucamonga Service Station - Rancho Cucamonga, CA - Photos Then and Now on Waymarking.com

The plaque says, "The Cucamonga Service Station was built by Henry Klusman in 1915 on the State Route which would 10 years later, be designated as U.S. Route 66. This type and style of station is one of the few remaining that once numbered in the thousands and greeted travelers along U.S. Route 66. William Harvey was the first owner, then in 1925 Ancil Morris purchased the station and became a Richfield distributor. Arvid “Chief” Lewis, Cucamonga’s first fire chief, owned the station from 1945 until it closed in 1971. In April of 2009 the City Council of Rancho Cucamonga designated the station a city historical landmark and in 2013 Route 66 Inland Empire California took title of the station and began the restoration process. The station was reopened in August of 2015 as a Route 66 museum."

Taken from the article, "Rancho Cucamonga’s Cucamonga Service Station is one of six recipients of the 2018 Governor’s Historic Preservation Awards, recognizing “exemplary achievements on behalf of preserving California’s richly diverse heritage.”

One of the few original buildings left along California’s stretch of Route 66, the newly restored Cucamonga Service Station was built in 1915, serving local wine and citrus growers and early car enthusiasts. When Route 66 opened in 1926, it became a refueling and service stop for those traveling Route 66. The station was a Richfield gas station (the corporate predecessor to today’s ARCO) from the 1930s through the 1960s.

The station, which is now a museum, closed in the 1970s and deteriorated badly, with a garage and freestanding bathroom destroyed by the ravages of time.

2009, Rancho Cucamonga designated the station a historical city landmark and the nonprofit Route 66 Inland Empire California gained title to the property in 2013. The organization restored the station using funds from local residents, a grant from the Native Sons of the Golden West, and donated labor and construction materials.

The station was recently added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Established in 1986 by Gov. George Deukmejian, the Governor’s Historic Preservation Awards emphasize involvement by community groups and recognize a variety of preservation activities, from building rehabilitation to archaeology, education and preservation planning."

Year photo was taken: 1940s

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