This is a Mexican restaurant in Culpeper, Virginia:

Not much to look at. Every town has a collection of buildings like this around its edge, often hailing from the relatively early days of mass car ownership, as the old towns began to have car-oriented peripheries.

That’s a hint: yes, this one is pretty old. And while as far as I can tell it began as a restaurant, it looked a little different. Also: see that steel canopy in the back and that circle on top of the sign?

Screenshotted from a Culpeper-focused Facebook group, photo from 1970:

Same front walkway, door, and windows! Same sign. Same canopy, then an outdoor dining patio or part of the drive-in setup. You can see the sign has been stripped down, and the 60s-style roofline of the restaurant has been raised. Other alterations, to window placement and exterior materials, have been made.

In 2008 or 2009, as Google Maps historic imagery shows, the exterior paint and window styling was simplified by the current tenant:

One source gives a build date of 1959, which I believe. This was likely one of the first buildings of its type built here, at the edge of what was then a genuine small city far from any other large settlements. (I linked it above, but read my photo essay on Culpeper!)

Every time you see a plain old building that looks a little timeworn, or you see an old steel sign like this, you can be almost sure it goes way back, and has a lot of stories to tell. These buildings belie the idea that car-oriented commercial architecture is disposable junk. So much of it is still standing, many uses, owners, and tenants later.

Much of it could use a refresh, and some is probably past its useful life. But there it is, 50, 60, 70 years later, still humbly serving its purpose.

Oh—and the pig standing at the entrance in the old 1970 photo? Someone in the Culpeper group has it today!

Related Reading:

What Do You Think You’re Looking At? #5

Workhorse Buildings

A Universe of Uses

The Dragon Inside

Thank you for reading! Please consider upgrading to a paid subscription to help support this newsletter. You’ll get a weekly subscribers-only post, plus full access to the archive: over 700 posts and growing. And you’ll help ensure more material like this!

Share