The dream of creating a classic car cruising destination in Richmond is speeding ahead, as the Richmond Area Historical and Genealogical Society is taking the initial steps toward creating a vintage filling station display.

“The Richmond Area Historical and Genealogical Society’s historic filling station project is moving forward,” RAHGS Board member Richard Weinert said. “The project has been awarded to Set In Stone home improvement LLC, a local Richmond company.”

RAHGS has developed a plan to convert an existing two-car garage located on city property into a display model of a vintage filling station. The garage project property is located at the southwest corner of Beebe and Park streets, at 36082 Park St.

Weinert estimated the garage dates to the late 1950s. RAHGS plans to use the garage as a display model only, not a working filling station.

“We plan to display vintage gas pumps, automotive artifacts, host classic car shows and other related events here,” Weinert said.

Work on the filling station project includes the need to replace the cement driveway, build a wall of the garage with two historically correct windows and an entry door, remove two garage doors, create a pump island and extend the roof over a pump island.

Weinert said Gary Bertossi of Gary Bertossi Bulldozing in Richmond donated his time and equipment to remove a large portion of the old driveway, preparing for the new slab and pump island.