Old School Gasoline Alley garage questions

[indyrjc]

It took a lot of digging, and piecing together newspapers articles, but I think I'm confident that I have more or less nailed down how things went. ......

Thanks for the excellent information, Doc! Everything thing you stated makes perfect sense and clears up a lot of questions that I've had for years. And I had totally forgotten about the row of windows above the doors on the pre-WWII garages.

[Belanger99]

Doc, that is great information!

[Sweaty Teddy]

This is all great information. I wasn't sure this was the direction this thread would take, but I'm glad it did.

[Field of 33]

This video is from 1985.

You can really see how congested it was. As mentioned, teams would store equipment, bodywork, tires, etc. outside because of the lack or space. And having all that stuff outside made it even more crowded congested. Mari Hulman George was right when she said at the time the whole place was one big "firetrap."

Since there was only one race per year, the teams actually got to use the garage for the whole 12 months if they wanted. I'd guess that offered them the time if they chose to install tile or other features...shelves, etc.

As mentioned, the width is probably about right, but many of the stalls didn't have partitions. Many/most were open on both sides (just like the garages we have now). So the depiction in the museum is mostly accurate, but a little 'fictional.'

This video is amazing! This is the first time I've ever actually seen video of the old garages and am shocked by just how tight and confined they really were.

[PHJIndy]

Great video! It brings back a lot of great memories! I saw a few faces I recognized.

[Sweaty Teddy]

Progress report. I've painted most of the garage and built the bench. Once I paint the trim, the ceiling, and the bench I will share a couple pictures. Considering this is meant to be an homage and not a recreation, I think things are coming out okay. Definitely better than the starting point.

[Sweaty Teddy]

And a couple pictured of work in progress, as I'll have to circle back to this after completing other projects. I built new stairs at my mother's house last week, I'm installing a wall of bookcases at my place (which is a lot of woodwork, considering that I'm not a carpenter), and I'm helping my sister move out of storage next week.

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