Exploring the Past: A Look at the McDowell Gas Station at 5252 Wisconsin Ave. NW in Friendship Heights

Published September 17, 2013

Take a look into the past and explore the McDowell gas station at 5252 Wisconsin Ave. NW in Friendship Heights, DC. It held a prominent place in the Washington, DC landscape during World War II, and today, the spot is occupied by a parking garage near Mazza Gallerie.

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Here’s a cool old World War II-era photograph of Friendship Heights. It shows the old gas station at 5252 Wisconsin Ave. NW, owned by the McDowell family.

Washington, D.C. "At 7 a.m. on June 21, 1942, the day before stricter gas rationing was enforced, cars were pouring into this gas station on upper Wisconsin Avenue." If they still made cars that looked like this Packard, we'd run right out and buy one. Photo by Marjory Collins for the Office of War Information. — Washington, D.C. “At 7 a.m. on June 21, 1942, the day before stricter gas rationing was enforced, cars were pouring into this gas station on upper Wisconsin Avenue.” If they still made cars that looked like this Packard, we’d run right out and buy one. Photo by Marjory Collins for the Office of War Information.

Source: Shorpy

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Today, the spot is the location of a sweet parking garage near Mazza Gallerie.

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