[BifRayRock]

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire

http://memoriastoica.tumblr.com/


This great station once stood on the site of strip-mall at the southwest corner of Washington and 8th... apparently the "Specification Motoroil System" was a national chain. I wondered if we've seen this building here before, but nothing comes up using the seriously lame search function... anyway, the curious grid looks a little familiar--is it some sort of motor-oil automat?


LAPL

Not sure how long it lasted as a Specification station--no listing for that name in the '32 and later CDs. Maybe it was taken over by another oil company.

LAT Aug 3, 1930


PS Can't quite figure out what's going on with the trees at right in the top picture... looks like they're on a hill to the west, but there is no hill there now....

Early attempt to capitalize on "special" motor oil requirements of each car?

Compartments are marked with various car makes/models, suggesting each tap contains car-specific "specially formulated" lubricant. Wonder whether each maker was consulted, let alone approved, of each blend. This might explain why some oils are mysterious, e.g., "Marvel." This might also explain why the business was not long-lasting.

Suspect the tower structure was nothing more than an office and showroom. Expect the spigots were purely decorative. Service was more likely performed in one of the service bays in the background. Selling/dispensing oil would prove messy, if not tedious, given the pictured turnabout. But maybe the "system" was more about service rather than volume.

The report concerning the 10-year lease price seems suspect, unless the spigots were for dispensing a "different" type of lubricant frowned upon by the temperance movement or the property contained producing wells.


Ask for the complementary air freshener.



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