Days Gone By

This is a photograph of Atlantic station owner Al Ambrosino pumping gas. Al’s name is visible over the office doorway. It appears that a late 1950s or early 1960s Ford (possibly a 1957 Thunderbird) is visible in the far bay. Some might remember Al in the 1970s as a bartender at the La Costa Lounge.

Atlantic Service Station
41st Street (John F. Kennedy Boulevard) and Landis Avenue, Southeast Corner, Sea Isle City

Believe it or not, there was a time when there were more than 15 service stations from Strathmere to Stone Harbor. Not gas-only facilities, but full-service stations. Today, only one remains. This photo is probably from the 1950s and shows Auggie (as in Augustine) Whelan’s Atlantic Station. It was located at the corner of Landis Avenue and 40th Street. It is believed that Auggie sold the station before he passed away in AugClearing the record…

This is a photograph of a Sea Isle City parade from the late 1950s or early 1960s, prior to the March 1962 Storm. The Atlantic station is in the background. Also clearly visible in the background are the Excursion House and Woman’s Civic Club building. Both were demolished in the 1962 storm. Although too far away to read, it appears that two names are on the sign over the service station’s doorway.

Days Gone By is a regular feature in which we look back at Sea Isle City’s past through photographs. Although meant to be fun, it is always intended to be accurate. Apparently, we got it wrong in the July issue. We assumed that the information on the back of a postcard that was sold at multiple locations throughout the city for years was correct. So, to correct some inaccurate information that we provided, we heard from one of our loyal readers: “I was reading the July 2020 edition when something caught my eye.” The photo of the Atlantic service station, which came from a postcard, just did not seem right to our reader: the layout of the station just was not the same as he remembered. To be sure, he dug out a couple of old photographs. And he was right – they did not match. It seems our reader used to purchase gasoline there and one of his very good friends worked there, so he spent a lot of time there. So here are two photos of the real station at 41st Street, and hopefully we now have the ownership lineage correct, too: owned in the late 1950s by Al Ambrosino, then Rocky Morano, then Pat LaRosa, and finally, Augie Whelan and his brother Jimmy. Jimmy took control of the station when Augie became a dispatcher for the Sea Isle City Police Department. So here are two looks at the station circa 1962 at its location at the corner of Landis and what is now

JFK Boulevard. Hopefully we’ve set the record straight. Thanks to our observant reader. If you have a photo that we can use in a future issue, or you think we might have some inaccurate information, please let us know by writing us at info@seaisleimes.com. From the photo, you see that Auggie sold Lee Tires, Exide batteries and smooth-running economy gasoline. And Wawa was still a dairy.

If You Have A Photo From The Past Send It To Us: Days Gone By, PO Box 134, Avalon, NJ 08202 or Email info@seaisletimes.com