Look at the houses between racine & five points,on center,looks like slumlords own them. Cars in front of houses with plastic for windows. I agree this town needs a make over,and there "IS" a lot worse things to look at,then this gas station!!!!

Yuri's blog has a poll on what you think should happen to this old gas station.
http://www.yurirashkin.com/

There are so many empty buildings in town that are looking so shabby: the Acudyne buildings, the 2 on the corner of Rockport and Center, and many more. These make our town look slummy. I have to wonder what the GM plant and Lear buildings will look like down the road. Trash all over and weedy like the others?

we showed our 4 year old a picture of the ol' Fill'er Up!!... he made reference to how he thought it looked like something from the movie "Cars"... just needs a little work, and it'll be good as new...

Like Hannah said, what about the old Robinsons cleaners? That place is a complete dump. Theres quite a few more buildings that need to be looked at and dealt with before this old gas station.

Heres another to look at. What about GM's building? Are they just gonna abandon it and tell us that its our problem now?

TEAR IT DOWN! Maybe Jackie Wood or Ahrens should donate the money if they want it so bad!

One thing more; What is one thing that intrigues people,HISTORY,right! See what town they filmed the movie with johnny depp,it wasn't in janesville,it could've been. But take away still more of the history,you WILL take away who we are,and who we were!!!!!

I agree: You keep on tearing down ALL our history,the stories that will be told by the elders,may sound like science fiction to the younger gen.,when history IS GONE! When will the people that govern this town get tired of looking at 100-200 yr.old homes,say they are an eye sore too,tear em down. Once history is GONE,it's gone forever. Think hard,and long,about the impact this has on our future generations.

Why not put the $50,000.00 the city council wants to "Donate" to the skate park into this building. It would show citizens that our past is as important as our future. We cannot get were we want to be without remembering were we came from!

I don't know about a gas station but I remember when it was a tire store:)

Are the underground fuel tanks still intact or have they been removed?

look who has money right now to refurb an old gas station. Sell it and use the money to help the needy, or better yet donate it to help the needy, or whatever but we dont need another bill

burn baby burn and chant ooopa bbbooooogaa ooooggaaaa police needa donuta

Not only does the gas station have historic value but it helps to soften the look of the Police Dept. building The P.D. doesn’t look as much out of place with the gas station there.
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There was a apartment building attached to the south side of the station. In the 50s into the early 60s my grandparents lived in the upper right hand apartment. The station was closed on Sundays so I have family pictures taken in front of the gas pumps. If we visited during the week I spent most of my time watching the cars fill up with gas. There also was a window in the bathroom, if I stood in the tub I could watch them fix cars in the garage behind. A very big deal for a farm kid.

B'moon is always touting the salvation of old buildings. If she survives her current three foreclosures problem, she could buy the gas station and relocated it on the former site of her carriage barn.

For the grand opening she can be a go-go dancer waving around a key attached to a two-by-four.

A donut coffee shop for the police and building staff is a great idea. The theme could revolve around old gas stations. The building is pretty, or will be with a little fix up. Don't be so quick to demolish our history.

I do remember corn exchange and wow was just telling my adult kids about it. A lot of the downtown history is gone and the idea of a gas station donut shop is great. Lets keep a little history and utilize the building. I also remember when Sears and Penny's was downtown. Woolworths, Larry and Phils,Star Billiard, Jupiters just a few memories. Lambs, Chalk and Cue AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH the good ole days

hmmmmm....'coffee' shop...how bout 'kids kafe':)

I don't think this is a first-tier historic structure by any means, but it would be a contributing structure in an historic district, if it were still surrounded by one. What's frustrating about historic preservation is that much of it is NOT about just the outstanding structures like the Tallman House or the Monterey Hotel, but about what's called the historic fabric of a neighborhood, such as the numerous not-terribly-special-by-themselves storefronts all down Milwaukee Street.
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Oddly, the development patterns have meant that almost all the historic fabric has been torn down on the north side of West Milwaukee, and on the south side of East Milwaukee. It's very odd, like having half a downtown. Certainly these are no longer streetscapes that can be used to film a movie like "Public Enemies". But they are what Janesville has left.
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The police department is a nice building. But it's a suburban-style building with no relationship to the downtown. It doesn't abut the sidewalk, and it's only one story. Even a modern structure looks better when it conforms itself in certain ways with the neighborhood. Now that block looks like it belongs on the outskirts of town instead of downtown, and it makes the gas station -- that was there first! -- look out of place.
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Sadly, fewer and fewer people remember the Corn Exchange, which the city allowed First National (now Chase) to demolish when I was just a child. The gas station fit in perfectly with those 19th-century structures.
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The Jackson Square development just completed by Forward Janesville is an excellent example of new construction that blends well with its neighborhood and is aware of its streetscape. It will contribute positively to the downtown for many years to come.

I hope the city does start to consider streetscapes more seriously from now on. They are showing themselves to be educatable as an institution; it's just too bad they weren't where they are today a lot sooner.

GM will need to put the old car on display somewhere, why not repave the lot, put some antique gas pumps out front and display it there? Make it an extention of the historical society.

I like the idea of putting it back to a gas station/donut shop. Then the cops can get both fuels they need to survive their shifts!! LOL But serious!

I say we get Snoopy to decorate it. Just look at what he did for Charlie Brown's Christmas tree!

who cares. if the city owns it and they want to level it, let them. true there will always be panty wearing liberals in the wings who didn't know the building existed till the story apeared that don't want it destructed but they blather just to blather. i say, bring out the bulldozers.

The City should use that for the children museum. Just the correct price, and size needed.

You can't tell a lot from the picture, but it would look 100% better if the parking lot was torn up and repaved and a little landscaping installed. Obviously, the foundation, roof, and energy efficiency are major concerns, but that would require an inspection.

Where's Halbach when you need a little economic development?

Precinct Gentlemans Club
Officers & Gentlemans Club
The Naughty Lock-up
Billy-Stick Night-Club
Screamin' Sheiffers

Learn more about the book Fill'er Up, in which this station is featured, when the authors visit Hedberg Public Library on Thursday, November 6 at 7 p.m.

The authors will talk about their passion for preserving and finding suitable re-uses for these historic structures. Books will be available for sale and signing.

No registration necessary. Visit www.HedbergPublicLibrary.org for details.

I really like the suggestion that localboysince1968 has. It preserves the structure, gives people something interesting to look at, and provides a gas savings for the city. I don’t see any downside here. Scratch the Children’s Museum, and put a fraction of that money into this project.

Tear down, build new. That has been the motto of this City for far too long. Our historic character is disappearing, and soon there will be nothing interesting about our community. New is not always better. Take some of the property around the gas station, turn it into the skatepark, and the gas station can be the concession stand, and check in point for skateboarders. Where better to have the skate park than right next to the police station, and centrally located within the city - so everyone can get to it. Parking? Why do kids on skateboards need parking? Get with it Jvl!

people are always talking about restoring historic buildings, and "support local buisnesses"... why not do both?? just because it looks like an eyesore doesn't mean that all it needs is a little TLC

"But I think that as the city has grown and the city facilities have grown around it, it's kind of lost its historic context." So what does that mean? Because there is a brand new police station across the street, the old building needs to go? I think that's more reason to hang onto as many useable old buildings as possible. There are so many possibilities for that building. If the city wants to tear down something, they should look at the building down the street that houses Aaron's Locks. That building does nothing for Janesville. It is a definite eyesore.

I think the building should be preserved. It's a charming little building and would be a great coffee shop or tourist information center. There is a lot of potential there. It isn't hurting anything and can only add attraction to the area. We are losing enough history with the closing of GM, let's try to keep some alive. We are trying to revitalize the downtown right?

Some buildings are worth having a fuss over and then there is this one. On its best day it's nothing special to look at, it doesn't fit the area, and it would cost too much to move. Sometimes progress is a good thing. Don't get me wrong, some historical buildings are worth saving, but I just don't think this is the one.

Why not turn it back again to a gas station, but be used by city hall and the police department? Currently, they have to drive all the way to the city services department (out on hwy 51) to fuel up.

They could make it look like a historic gas station, put a few city offices (related to the fuel service) in their, and use it as a functional gas station for the city' use.

It might cost a little at first, but the building is saved, used efficiently (not driving out to the current place), and is a unique point of interest (maybe even tourist stop?) for the city.

oh for pete's sake. Tear the eye sore down!