Here’s your weekly history photo post (formerly Wednesday History, but I keep forgetting to post it on Wednesdays). This 1925 shot is a old gas station at 14th and Belmont with the unusual name of Toot-An-Kum-In. Before you get the wrong idea, that’s a play on Tutankhamun, aka King Tut. The Shorpy page notes the name is probably due to the popularity of Egypt after the after the discovery of King Tut’s tomb in 1922. Unfortunately it doesn’t really seem to be an example of Egyptian Revival architecture, which was popular in the 1800s and early 1900s. The 14th and Belmont area is now a couple of empty lots and some new condo/mixed use buildings.
Another interesting tidbit somebody at Shorpy found was this ad, which says the station is in Mount Pleasant rather than Columbia Heights. I remember hearing on the Walking Town DC tour (and I think the Heritage Trail signs also) that for a long time, 14th Street was considered the border of Mount Pleasant. And it’s also 19 cents a gallon and brands include Amoco, American Strate (an old brand), and some others I can’t read.
I wish all gas stations looked like this.
