The Old Station

I met Barb E. for lunch on Thursday. After picking her up at her office on 8th Avenue and Washington at 11:30, we drove west on Washington for a few blocks, then looped around and drove east to1301 West Jefferson Street. She then introduced me to "The Old Station". It looks like it once was a gas station and shop.

The parking lot in the front holds about four cars, and I snaked through but decided to go around the other side of the building. There is side parking, which we took, but it looks like it's better to go to the back where there is more room. I could see that there was a large outdoor seating area, which would really be nice when the weather wasn't so hot. Inside there is a small seating area with benches organized in groups of two and four.

There were about seven people busily working behind the small counter and production area. It looks like office delivery is a huge business. The small order counter had enough room for two people to take orders and a cash register. We bought yummy subs with potato salad and ice tea. I had a roast turkey and cheese and Barb had a Salami, which seemed to be a specialty. No sooner had we picked up our food, then the place became outrageously packed. Obviously, this place is no secret to those working in the area.

Per New Times

BEST COLLECTION OF ARIZONA LICENSE PLATES (2005)
There's a lot of local history in this gas station turned sandwich shop. The deli sits right next to the Pioneer Memorial Park and Cemetery, where some of Arizona's first settlers and political figures are buried, and the building has been a presence on Jefferson Street since its birth as a Mobil gas station in 1926. The inside walls are decorated with vintage metal signs and old photos, but the most striking decoration is the collection of Arizona license plates that covers all four walls. There are dozens upon dozens of rusted old plates, in various colors and stages of decay, dating back to 1912, the year before Henry Ford started mass production of automobiles. So while you're waiting for your sandwich, you can look up and wonder how it must have been to drive in Phoenix before there were freeways.