Route 66: Cucamonga Service Station

NOTE: This year marks the hundredth anniversary of Route 66, one of the United States first intercontinental highways, spanning 2278 miles (3665 km) from Santa Monica, California, to Chicago, Illinois. As such, I will be sharing some images taken at various locations along the highway throughout the coming months.

The Cucamonga Service Station is a well-preserved historic landmark along historic Route 66 in Rancho Cucamonga, California. Built in 1915, it predates the official designation of Route 66 by more than a decade, making it one of the oldest surviving service stations associated with the famed highway. Architecturally, the building is notable for its Spanish Colonial Revival style, a design common in Southern California during the early 20th century. Its stucco walls, tiled columns, and canopy evoke a time when service stations were intentionally designed to appear welcoming and regionally distinctive rather than purely utilitarian.

After closing as a gas station in the early 1970s, the building sat vacant for decades and faced the threat of demolition. Preservation efforts gained momentum in the 2000s, and in 2013 the property was acquired by the nonprofit Route 66 Inland Empire California Association. Today, the Cucamonga Service Station operates as a Route 66 museum and visitor center, offering exhibits on local history, early automobile travel, and the cultural legacy of the “Mother Road.” It stands as one of the few remaining examples of an early service station along Route 66 in California and serves as an important reminder of how roadside architecture and small businesses shaped the American travel experience.