Gas Station Gets New Life as a Coffeehouse

The 1920s-era location is being restored and transformed into Artie's Filling Station.

June 17, 2011

LANSING, MI - A 90-year-old gasoline station that had been deserted for years is getting a new lease on life as a coffee shop, the Lansing State Journal reports. The building began life in the 1920s as a gasoline station but became vacant 50 years ago. Later this summer, the building will reopen as Artie??s Filling Station, a café serving sandwiches and coffee.

The rehabilitation of the gasoline station is part of an overall revitalization project in Old Town Lansing. "I remember 10, 15 years ago coming down into the Old Town area and seeing what bad shape a lot of the buildings were in," said Karl Dorshimer, vice president of the Lansing Economic Development Corp. "It's come a long way, and now (redevelopment) is starting to spread out from the center area."

City resident Dale Schrader bought the old gasoline station with an eye to turning it into a coffee shop. "My goal was to restore this building as accurately as possible to what it was originally in 1925," he said.

After the restoration, John Miller has signed on to lease the space to sell specialty coffee, herbal teas, smoothies, pastries and sandwiches. "I've been driving by the building, like Dale had been for years, and I saw it and said someday I'm going to put a drive-in there," he said. Artie??s Filling Station will have a drive-thru, walk-up window, delivery service and outdoor seating.

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