It may not be long before the idea of a downtown gas station is as out of date as the Betamax and shag carpeting.
The last set of pumps in downtown Vancouver is on sale.
There is no price attached to the listing for the 17, 292 sq ft property, but the CBC reports it has been valued at $36 million. CTV reports a smaller, slightly smaller gas station nearby sold this month for $72 million.
At least one gas industry watcher wouldn't be surprised to see something similar happen in Toronto over the next few years.
"Real estate values are far more lucrative than what you make selling gasoline," says Dan McTeague with GasBuddy.com. "You could see the disappearance of three or four key stations that serve the downtown area."
The Toronto Archives, gas station at Spadina and Wellington, 1972
There are fewer than 10 gas stations currently serving Toronto's core. The CBC reports the land that houses a Petro Canada station at Spadina Ave and Wellington St at $18.2 million. The Shell station across the street, $8.4 million.
Drivers at the Spadina stations Thursday expressed surprise at Vancouver's sell-off and worried about where they would fill up if more of Toronto's downtown stations vanished.