This morning The New York Times had a story headlined, "Manhattan's Vanishing Gas Stations," and it immediately reminded me of the small service station that once sat on the southeast corner of Kilbourn and Van Buren.
It also reminded me that in 30 years in Milwaukee, I can't really think of many Downtown gas stations beyond that one, a small hidden one across from the U.S. Bank Building on Michigan Street (also gone) and the former Citgo on the corner of St. Paul and South 2nd Street, which remains (as a BP), but whose land has been offered up for sale to condo developers in the past.
There are a few stations not far out of Downtown, like the Shell across from Shank Hall on the lower East Side and the Mobil on South 1st Street in Walker's Point and some as you head west out on Wisconsin Avenue.
But, really, it seems pretty amazing that in three decades in a city that's littered with available space Downtown – and in a city that loves its cars – there have been so few gas stations Downtown.
The Times points out that the stations are falling victim to real estate pressures.
"Spurred by the recession and now the recovery’s development clamor, service stations popular among New York cabbies and motorists are literally losing their ground to apartments, stores and offices," reads the story. "Rezoning of these sites for residential use has also spurred development."
But that's not happening here. The Citgo on St. Paul is still open, despite the Third Ward condo boom. The lot on Kilbourn has been empty since the station was demolished years ago (except for the seasonal Stein's that sets up there in spring) and I don't think much of anything did – or could – replace that one-pump joint that was on East Michigan.
Interestingly, even repair shops, like the Midas that once stood where the Moderne is located and the Goodyear showroom that was on 5th and Wells (and more recently 6th and Wells) are long gone.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not eager for the center of the city to become a landing pad for sprawling, over-lit gas stations, but if we all drive – and most of us do – and the kinds of real estate pressures at work in Manhattan don't apply here, why are there no Downtown gas stations?
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
