4920 Washington Avenue (Racine, Wisconsin)
| Firestone Complete Auto Care #655260 | |
|---|---|
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| General information | |
| Type | Tire store |
| Location | 4920 Washington Avenue Racine, Wisconsin |
| Coordinates | 42°43′08″N 87°50′20″W / 42.71899°N 87.83894°WCoordinates: 42°43′08″N 87°50′20″W / 42.71899°N 87.83894°W |
| Opened | July 5, 1977 |
4920 Washington Avenue is a building on the northeast corner of Washington Avenue and Perry Avenue. The location was home to an automobile service station and D-X and Sunoco gasoline station from around 1950 to 1973. The present building was built by Firestone Complete Auto Care for its store #655260, which opened in 1977.
History[edit | edit source]
Elmer Petersen operated an automobile service station at what was then known as 4940 Washington Avenue as early as 1950. At that time, the station was an authorized Firestone tire dealer.[1] Ed Flynn's D-X Service Station held its grand opening at the site on October 19, 1951.[2] The Flynn service station was robbed and vandalized on the night of September 29, 1955, with hundreds of dollars in merchandise and equipment taken or destroyed.[3] Blood was found near broken car windows at the station, and Mount Pleasant police believed that bloodstained clothes found at Forest Park were connected to the burglar.[4] Around 1956, the station became known as Westgate D-X Service Station, after the Westgate Outdoor Theatre across Washington Avenue. Some time after the Sun Oil Company acquired the Sunray D-X company, the station was renamed Westgate Sunoco Service Station.
Sun Oil Company withdrew from selling gasoline to several stations in eight states in August 1973, including Westgate Sunoco. Westgate Sunoco stopped selling fuel on August 20, and began operating solely as a service garage.[5] In November 1973, a permit was issued to build a Midas Muffler shop at 4920 Washington Avenue.[6] At the end of 1976, Firestone Tire and Rubber Company announced that it would build a new store at the site, which was still owned by Elmer Petersen, and it was noted that the old gasoline station had already been demolished in preparation.[7]
Firestone opened the Washington Avenue store on July 5, 1977, creating the chain's second Racine store after the location at 1122 North Main Street.[8] The five eligible service workers at the store voted to join the Teamsters Local 43 labor union on February 10, 1978.[9] In April 1980, the three eligible service workers at the store filed a petition to decertify their membership in the Teamsters union.[10]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Advertisement, Racine Journal Times, April 18, 1950, page 2.
- ↑ Advertisement, Racine Journal Times, October 18, 1951, page 18.
- ↑ "Rob Woman; Burglars Active", Racine Journal Times, September 30, 1955, page 7.
- ↑ "Happenings in the City", Racine Journal Times, October 1, 1955, page 3.
- ↑ Advertisement, Racine Journal Times, August 5, 1973, page 3A.
- ↑ "Housing Permits Taper Off to Zero", Racine Journal Times, December 6, 1973, page 8A.
- ↑ "News briefs", Racine Journal Times, December 29, 1976, page 7B.
- ↑ "Business", Racine Journal Times, August 3, 1977, page 12C.
- ↑ "Union wins at Firestone", Racine Journal Times, February 10, 1978.
- ↑ "Briefly: Vote on union", Racine Journal Times, April 14, 1980, page 4C.