Vacant Service Station on Shaw Has Great Potential
About 25-30 years about ago the now-defunct magazine Metropolitan Home had an article on an old service station being converted into a private residence, if I recall it was a contest winner located in Dallas. Since then I’ve been hooked on the reuse of these structures.
In February I posted about a formerly dumpy service station on Tower Grove that is now a trendy restaurant. Recently I passed by another vacant service station just perfect for a similar transformation. I’d passed by this same location many times before without noticing anything other than its sad condition. This time I envisioned another restaurant with a patio out front.
Some of you might say no market exists for food establishments in the area but no doubt that was said before Olio, Shasha’s on Shaw, and Mama Josephine’s opened.
I’d love to see this building get a new life as a restaurant, coffeehouse, or perhaps a plant nursery/cafe. I don’t know the owner’s intentions, or the potential environmental issues, but I know from a purely design perspective the potential is high.
— Steve Patterson
Well, what looks to be the original pavement is intact, so that says to me that remediation hasn’t occurred. That’s what, $300,000, ballpark? Still, I love these old service stations. A lot of them have some really good character.
Or a laundromat with parking out front…