Prena Photos

This Prena station has a long history. Located at 1736 Sawtelle Avenue in a Japanese
section of West Los Angeles, it was a Union 76 for many years. I think the station
dates back to the 1930s. It is one of the few surviving gas stations situated in mid-block
(not on a corner). It may even have been one of those businesses where the Japanese owners
were forced to sell in 1942 when they were relocated to concentration camps.

The station is really tiny! Some years ago, there was talk of wrecking it to build
an office suite on the site. Locals rallied around and while I don't know if the station
got "historic building" status, it was saved from destruction.

The volume of gas sold was hopelessly low, even for Union. When Tosco took over 76,
they probably dropped this site. There's another 76 just 2 blocks up the street anyway.
So, now it sports brand new pumps with the PRENA logo.

The price sign shows a "split-brand" for PRENA and "T & T GASOLINE"
but as you can see from the pump, the gas all comes from the same place now!
T & T is the name of the auto repair place behind the station, and also the phonebook listing;
and they may have had the gas in their name for a brief time period.
Look carefully where the T & T stickers are, you can see a round outline where the 76 circle once was.
"High Performance 92" was the 76 premium designation too.

I don't know much about the brand. There's a big new Prena station in San Fernando, done up in
red, green and yellow, looks like a FASTRIP; a small PRENA in North Hollywood has a cubic sign;
and other stations are supposedly in Pacoima and Pomona. No website for it yet, maybe it's
just a secondary for some major? Weird too that the stations don't have common signage or colors.

Photos taken July 25, 2004 By J. Eric Freedner, who also supplied the above comments.