The Old Hi-Speed Gas Station, East Lansing: 1930s

Sadly, those classic gas stations are gone to the ages: Red Crown, Sinclair, Flying A, Fire Chief, and many others.....including Hi-Speed.

By the 1940s, Michigan had more than 1,800 Hi-Speed gas stations throughout the state, with 350 of them in Detroit alone. But we had our share in Mid-Michigan, too. Lansing, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, and many smaller towns carried a Hi-Speed gas station.

One of the classic Hi-Speeds, complete with the high castle-type tower, was at the split intersection of Grand River and Michigan Avenue in East Lansing, right there on campus. We know that it was there since 1936 – possibly before that. It was open 24 hours and had its own car wash. These stations sported a classic design that is sorely missed in the 2020s. That tall tower sported the Hi-Speed name vertically instead of horizontally, making it stand out for travelers.

Get our free mobile app

In the 1940s, the station became the Pure Oil gas station that continued into the 1950s.  As the decades wore on, Pure Oil went away and the building became just a convenience store. Of its handful of incarnations, the building was known as 24/7, Jonna’s, and is currently known as Manny’s.

Hi-Speed was owned by the Hickok Oil Company of Toledo, Ohio and kicked off in the 1920s. After it was re-branded as Pure in the 40s and 50s, it died out during the 1960s. Union Oil Company bought out Pure in 1965 and by 1970, the Pure Oil brand was gone. All remaining stations became Union 76 stations.

The gallery below shows the old Hi-Speed at the intersection of Grand River and Michigan Avenue in East Lansing, and how it looks today.