In 1969, there were 239,000 gas stations in the United States; today, less than half that number exists.¹ In smaller scale, Sunset Boulevard illustrates this gradual disappearance of gas retail establishments on the postwar commercial strip.

In driving along ten miles of Sunset Boulevard in 1973, Ed Ruscha captured more than 40 gas stations with his camera; by contrast, his 2007 drive documented more than two-thirds fewer.² This was a dramatic drop in the number and density of such facilities. His photographs illuminate the changing geographies of everyday energy landscapes both along and outside the commercial strip as gas stations shifted to more suburban and highway-oriented locations over the late twentieth century. Further, the photographs reveal the life cycles of commercial land and the gradual process of repurposing individual sites to alternative use. Rather than offering a strict before-and-after story, Ruscha’s photographs document a frequently multi-stage redevelopment process that unfolded gradually amid continuing and rapid metropolitan growth.

Most postwar gas stations were located on corner parcels, affording drivers multiple means of entry and exit. In fact, of all the gas stations on this 10-mile stretch during this period, only one—8543 Sunset Boulevard—was located mid-block.

Gas stations also commonly clustered near one another, even on adjacent properties. At 5007 and 5025 Sunset, for example, two stations occupied the entire northern stretch of the boulevard between North Mariposa and North Alexandria Avenues. Although Ruscha had not photographed this area during his 1966 drive, city directories identify gas stations at these sites since at least that time; those uses continued all the way through his 2007 photo shoot.³

Corporate Ownership

When gas station use survived for an extended period at the same site, it tended to remain in consistent corporate hands, even if an individual franchise owner might change over time.⁴ Chevron, the successor to Standard Oil of California, dominated the late twentieth-century Sunset Boulevard petroleum landscape. Texaco was close behind, and the two companies eventually merged in 2000. Other prevalent companies included Arco, Shell, Gulf, Mobil, and Union 76. Amongst the long-enduring gas station sites, Ruscha’s photographs demonstrate changes in signage and architecture, if not ownership. At 8101 Sunset Boulevard, for example, Chevron dropped the term “Standard” from its signage. The shape of the canopy extending out from the oblong garage building morphed from flat to gabled, and this form continued through Ruscha’s 2007 photographs. But despite these physical changes, the Chevron name remained constant.

The Union 76 station at 7979 Sunset Boulevard illustrates a similar story. Here, however, Ruscha’s photographs also capture a changing landscape around the station—including the growth of trees and new construction to its rear.

Vacancy and Reuse

More typical than the endurance of individual gas stations was their replacement on those same sites by different uses entirely. All along Sunset Boulevard, Ruscha’s photographs reveal demolition and new construction remaking numerous parcels. Common successor uses included newly constructed fast food restaurants or parking lots surrounding new strip malls. 6750 Sunset Boulevard, for example, illustrates the constancy of change as a Union 76 gave way to a Rally’s and then a Carl’s Jr.

The typical corner location of virtually all of Sunset’s gas stations suited these alternative uses that prioritized automobile access, and paving over such a site was an economical means to attract development to land with toxic soil.

Former gas station sites stand out for frequently experiencing a period of vacancy before the construction of a new use, and Ruscha’s photographs are uniquely valuable for capturing these interim moments of delay and absence. The images expose the often slow pace and process of redevelopment in progress, rather than simply focusing on outcomes, as if those eventual successor uses were a fait accompli.

In 1973, for example, 7980 Sunset Boulevard was the site of a Shell station; by 1985, the pumps were gone and only the station’s auto repair function remained’ and, by 1995, Gaucho Grill operated at the site.

Similarly, at 8873 Sunset Boulevard, property owners proceeded to demolish the entire Shell station facility while awaiting a new occupant. The gas station had appeared in photographs from 1966 through 1985, but Ruscha’s 1995 image captured an empty lot. His 2007 photograph shows a reawakened property, with construction in progress. Shortly after, a Japanese restaurant opened on the site.

Finally, 6407 Sunset Boulevard was home to a Texaco when Ruscha first photographed it in 1973. By 1985, the lot had been cleared but remained vacant. A Jack in the Box was in operation by 1995.

Oil Crisis

Two big phenomena help explain this pattern of demolition and interim vacancy: the contamination of gas station sites, which would necessitate remediation before redevelopment, and the changing gasoline economy following the oil crisis of the 1970s. In October 1973, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) imposed an embargo on the United States, yielding gasoline shortages, limits on consumers’ ability to purchase the fuel, and a dramatic increase in gas prices where the product was available. Motorists frequently had to wait in line to purchase the limited supply—until individual gas stations simply ran out of their allocation. Edward Ruscha photographed Sunset Boulevard in July of that same year, just a few months too soon to capture such scenes. But at least one of his 1985 sites offers a belated flavor for this moment. At 5278 Sunset Boulevard, a handmade sign facing the street announced, “No Gas.” This site would eventually become parking for the adjacent auto repair shop.

Following this reshaping of the global market, US gasoline companies shifted their strategies from dominating market share to dominating profitability.⁵ They closed many former retail outlets as a result. One Sunset Boulevard ARCO owner attributed station closings and rent increases to greed, but the company’s regional manager described it as “simple economics.” He explained, “If a station does a minimal volume of gas, its best use is not as a gas station.”⁶ At that point, those sites sat vacant awaiting their next occupants. Changing gasoline retail trends further hastened the closure of postwar gas stations along landscapes like Sunset Boulevard. Many stations depicted in these photographs were adjoined automobile garages. By the 1980s, however, self-service was increasingly common, and secondary buildings frequently housed convenience stores rather than auto repair. Thus, gas stations’ space needs were expanding, and earlier properties were becoming outdated.⁷ While drivers along Sunset Boulevard still required gasoline by the 2000s, and a range of facilities continued to satisfy that need, Ruscha’s photographs depict a still-ongoing era in which companies located the bulk of their properties outside the dense commercial strip, where larger footprints were possible and profitable.

This migration was part of larger and interconnected histories of highway construction and the suburbanization of housing, shopping, and industry that were shifting much more than just gas stations from the postwar city to outlying metropolitan areas. Southern California experienced these processes acutely following wartime growth.⁸ The population of the City of Los Angeles nearly doubled between 1950 and 2000; during that same period, however, that of its suburbs more than quadrupled.⁹ Moreover, LA had the nation’s highest rate of automobile ownership.¹⁰ With drivers increasingly located on and around LA’s expanding suburban highway network, gas stations followed their market. Back within the city, the confluence of that suburbanization and a changing global energy environment left its impact via absence, latency, and gradual transformation in the gas station landscape of urban Sunset Boulevard.

Notes