Valvoline / Pure Oil at Lake and Sherman in Evanston

Here's another series of photographs on eBay that will probably only be of interest to other local history geeks. (I won't be bidding on them this week, so don't worry about outbidding me and hurting my feelings.) From the auction description:

This combination of photos represents 2 generations of stations at a Pure Oil Company service station at the intersection of Lake and Sherman in E--, IL. All photos are black and white.

Photos 1 and 2 - 3X5 of the station when it was owned by someone else...circa 1920s based on the vehicles.

Photos 3 and 4 - 3X5 after branded Pure Oil. You can see the Pure Oil sign...circa 1920s based on the vehicles.


Photos 5 and 6 - 8X10 of the traditional Pure Oil cottage design constructed primarily in the 1930s...Circa 1930s based on the vehicles and gas pump design. Both photos have some very small tears in the border and some very slight creases but are generally in very good condition.

The seller, LibraryFriendsFund, has many other interesting and unique photos for sale. I absolutely love this kind of stuff, seeing how the neighborhood has changed over time. Here's what the Lake and Sherman intersection looks like today: (Well, not really today, silly people. Today it wasn't rainy and overcast. Or summer.)