An old gas station always has a story behind it.
1040 Rue Chartres
Gas Station on Rue Chartres
A regular stop on “down-river” French Quarter walking tours is the corner of Chartres and Ursulines Streets. Guides point out three sights. The Old Ursuline Convent stands as the oldest building in New Orleans. Additionally, it’s regarded as the oldest in the Mississippi Valley, although there are others laying claim to that designation. Across from the convent is the Historic B-K House, one of my favorite “small” museum properties in the city. Then there’s this yellow townhouse building on the uptown-river side of the corner. Tour Guides point out the ramp in the curb and say, “It used to be a gas station.”
French Market Service Station
Well, they’re right, that building was indeed a gas station. The Maggiores owned French Market Service Station. It opened in the 1927, and was sold by the Panama Oil Company to Leonardo Maggiore in 1928. According to Da Paper, it “was sold as a fully equipped going concern.” From that point, the station became an important component of “Little Palermo,” as Sicilians whose families came to New Orleans in the previous century gained the means to own automobiles.
1963 photo of the French Market Service Station by Dan S. Leyrer, via THNOC
There’s a property record in 1943, transferring the title of the gas station from Leonardo Maggiore to Jennie Impastato Maggiore. There was a notification in Da Paper in 1940 that the Impastatos (owners of Napoleon House) acquired a financial interest in the station. The 1943 transfer was a succession, indicating that Leonardo passed.
In 1953, it appears that Jennie Maggiore bought out Anthony P. Maggiore.
Detail of the building at 1040 Rue Chartres
The current building replaced the service station in 1983. On their way to the Old Ursuline Convent and Historic BK House, in the next block, tour guides often point out this town house as a great example of re-purposing and fitting into the neighborhood. They point out the ramp (above) in the sidewalk. It’s the last remnant of the gas station.
French Market Service Station by Lisa Tygier Diamond
Service Station Art
This painting, by artist Lisa Tygier Diamond, presents the French Market Service Station. I don’t know Ms. Diamond’s connection to the the station, but she captures the spirit of both the early 1950s and the Lower Quarter. You can buy this painting as a poster, notebook, card, and other formats from her website.
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