12th St Garage
Built 1922
The 12th St Garage is represented here as an elegant place in the 1920s. The photo below was taken in August 2008. The top postcard shows only three levels of windows, but the 2008 photo shows four, as does the vertical postcard below, possibly from the 1930s or 40s. The top post card must be a drawing, that inaccurately depicts the Garage, or perhaps a fourth floor was added before the vertical card, which also has an ESSO gas pump, and a more utilitarian look. Currently this building is not a public garage - its not clear if it is used in any way. A white glazed tile sign on the west wall saying 12th St Garage is the only reminder of older days. This was the location of a livery stable before the garage was built. Both postcards from the Chuck Julian collection
Also notice the elegance of the narrow building to the Garage's left in the postcard, and the modern ugly modification in the photo above. The top floor has been bricked in with cinder blocks, removing the elegant window and door surrounds. Was there a fire or some catastrophic event that caused this ugly change? Living in Wheeling now must be what it was like to live in Athens long after the passing of the city-states. Where has the grandeur gone?
