Then & Now: From Gas Station to Gallery

A new application for storefront work at a gas station on the corner of Eighth Avenue and 13th Street has us reaching into the GVSHP files today on Off the Grid; below is a “Then & Now” post written by former GVSHP staffer Dana Schulz about another gas station site in the Village.

The odd, triangular plot of land at the southwest corner of 7^th Avenue South and Commerce Street (known as 14 Commerce Street) has always been an intriguing site. The irregularly shaped corners on 7^th Avenue South are due to the 1917 extension of 7^th  Avenue from West 11^th Street through to Varick Street, which coincided with the building of the West Side IRT underground along this same route.  Previously 7^th Avenue did not extend below 11^th Street and Varick Street did not go north of Carmine Street.  The extension was done at an angle to the already existing street grid, resulting in the demolition of numerous structures and the addition of triangular lots such as this one.

The 1969 Greenwich Village Historic District designation report states that number 14 Commerce Street, “is the site of an unattractive gasoline filling station serving the neighborhood.  In view of the exceptionally attractive nature of this street and the small scale of its houses, there is no reason why, with proper design controls, a small brick filling station office with wing walls and planter boxes could not have been designed here to harmonize with the neighborhood it serves.”

This “eyesore” was Joe’s Friendly Service Station, owned by Austrian immigrant Joe Schuller.  According to the blog Scouting NY, Joe, a concentration camp survivor, was the mayor of Commerce Street.  The blog also notes that the exterior of the gas station was featured in a 1983 Pee-Wee Herman skit where the station became his lemonade stand.  Many gas stations sprouted up along 7^th Avenue South in the 1930s after the Holland Tunnel opened in 1927.  The corner triangular plots facilitated driving in and out of the station.  The exact date that Joe’s Friendly Service Station closed is not known, but its parapet still exists, serving as a reminder of the past.

Today, the triangular building is an art gallery and studio of Philip Mortillaro.  According to Mr. Mortillaro’s website, he is “a lifelong New York City resident and West Village-based artist who primarily focuses on metal sculpture and pencil drawing.”  Interestingly, he is also the locksmith who owns the legendary Greenwich Village Locksmiths, also on 7^th Avenue South, famous for its decorated façade of keys.  A documentary, Do Not Duplicate, chronicling Philip’s art, specifically that of his locksmith shop, is currently being made.  Joe’s Friendly Service Station is likely missed by many old time Villagers, but it is certainly heartening that the space is now run by another Village “mayor.”