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Tuomy Hills Service Station

Coordinates: 42°15′34″N 83°42′44″W / 42.25944°N 83.71222°W / 42.25944; -83.71222
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Tuomy Hills Service Station
Tuomy Hills Service Station is located in Michigan
Tuomy Hills Service Station
Tuomy Hills Service Station is located in the United States
Tuomy Hills Service Station
Location2460 Washtenaw Ave., Ann Arbor, Michigan
Coordinates42°15′34″N 83°42′44″W / 42.25944°N 83.71222°W / 42.25944; -83.71222
Arealess than one acre
Built1928 (1928)
ArchitectFry & Kasurin; Paul Kasurin
Architectural styleTudor Revival
NRHP reference No.00000240[1]
Added to NRHPMarch 24, 2000

The Tuomy Hills Service Station is a commercial building located 2460 Washtenaw Avenue in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.[1]

History

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Cornelius ("Bill") and Kathryn Tuomy were siblings from a family with deep roots in the Ann Arbor area. The pair were in the real estate business, and were responsible for the development of the Tuomy Hills area of Ann Arbor.[2] In 1928, when Stadium Boulevard was first constructed, the Tuomys decided that the area where Stadium crossed Washtenaw needed a gas station.[3] They hired Ann Arbor architects Lynn Fry and Paul Kasurin to design this service station,[4] though other sources list the architect as Frank Carson (winner of the 1925 Prix de Rome).[5] The Standard Oil Company leased the station,[3] and exhibited a replica it at the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago.[4]

When Bill Tuomy died in 1966, Standard Oil bought the station, and ran it until 1988 when it was boarded up.[3] In 1999, the station was refurbished for use as a University Bank ATM branch.[6] In 2005, Bearclaw Coffee Co. moved into the station, and remains there as of 2021.[7]

Description

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The Tuomy Hills Service Station is a single story commercial building, constructed in a style variously described as reflecting an Irish gatehouse[4] or English gatekeeper's cottage.[3][5] The walls consists of eight inches of brick faced with eight inches of stone. The station sits on a heavy concrete pad, and is roofed with slate. The structure has two porte-cochères, each supported with hand-hewn oak pillars.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ Diane LaBarbera (1991). "Finding aid for Tuomy Family Papers, 1840-1966". Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
  3. ^ a b c d e Marjorie Reade; Susan Wineberg. "2460 Washtenaw Avenue". Ann Arbor District Library. Archived from the original on January 8, 2009. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
  4. ^ a b c Grace Shackman (October 2000). "Gasoline Alley". Ann Arbor Observer.
  5. ^ a b Wineberg, Marjorie Reade and Susan (1992). HISTORIC BUILDINGS ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN.
  6. ^ "Michigan Gas Stations: Canopies (page 1)". RoadsideArchitecture.com. Archived from the original on 2014-05-22. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
  7. ^ "Bearclaw Store Locations". Bearclaw Coffee Co. Retrieved 2020-04-07.