Many, many years ago, I spent the summer working on a road project north of Pittsburgh. Don’t be fooled – while those words may conjure up visions of a highway crew and heavy equipment, I was doing what architectural historians do – armed with clipboard and camera, and recording any buildings older than 50 years old within the project boundaries. This past weekend, while sifting through a large container of print photos (in search of something else entirely), I came across a black and white photograph of me in front of a small, brick ice cream shop. The back of the photo read “Evans City, PA.”
All I remember of Evans City is this adorable building.
And just like that, I went down the rabbit hole of memories. Well, that and a good 30 minutes lost on Google.
Evans City is a borough of around 1,800 residents in Butler County, Pennsylvania. And it is home to Zimmerman’s Ice Cream, strategically located at a busy corner downtown (Main and Washington Streets).
This corner site was vital given the building’s original use as a gas station just as American’s love affair with the automobile commenced. I don’t have an exact construction date for the former has station, but according to various news stories I located, it was in operation by at least 1934.
A little too late to be retro neon, but it’s still a good sign. Photograph by Joseph on Flickr, https://www.flickr.com/photos/josepha/8807017096/in/photostream/
I remember the building, the delicious ice cream, and the company of my good friend and co-worker, Sandra – but I only grabbed the one photo (we were shooting with film then, so any unnecessary photographs had to be carefully evaluated).
What made me laugh now, removed from that hot summer day by what seems a lifetime, was the name of the ice cream store. Zimmerman is a last name in my husband’s family, and is our son’s middle name.
Zimmerman’s, in full color. Photograph by Joseph on Flickr, https://www.flickr.com/photos/josepha/8807015868/in/photostream/
Lou Zimmerman bought the gas station in 1970, and only started serving ice cream when a friend was preparing to trash an ice cream maker. Rather than letting the machine go into the garbage can, a side venture started in the gas station.
In 1995, new federal regulations on underground gas tanks hit many small business owners hard. Mr. Zimmerman removed the pumps, and focused solely on ice cream.
For over three decades Lou and his wife Dee sold ice cream to locals and travelers (me!) alike. As I sifted through web sites, looking for any photographs of the compact building with the flared hipped roof, I instead found a photograph of a young man in his Army uniform. Just last month, on January 20, 2020, Louis Henry Zimmerman, proprietor of the ice cream store that prompted so many memories for me, died.
I don’t know what will happen to the ice cream business, and to the wonderful little building – but I hope both continue to prosper. And if I ever make it that way again, I’ll stop in with my family in tow for some delicious frozen treats.
Love this story!
You brought back happy memories! We lived in a small town on US 54 in MO. In the early 1950s my sister and I would spend several hours ever day counting cars go by. We tossed a coin for north or south bound. The Greyhound bus station was across the street. It looked very much like Zimmerman’s – white glazed brick with black stripes in it. Buses weren’t air conditioned. This was a Coke stop. Those poor, miserable people would have a ten minute break.
We both enjoyed counting cars. It didn’t really matter who won. Those were the days!
Great gas station but I don’t remember Zimmerman’s; I’ll go to Evans City to see if it is still there. I grew up around Mars, PA so I’m wondering what was included in your survey!