George’s Service Station
Known Name(s)
George’s Service Station
Address
203 Plainfield St. Providence, RI
Establishment Type(s)
Service Station
Physical Status
Extant
Detailed History
George’s Service Station is the only automotive service listed in The Green Book in Rhode Island. Owned by George H. Walter, the business operated at 203 Plainfield St. as a tire repair center between 1939 and 1947. In 1948, Walter expanded his operation into Walker’s Trucking and Expressing Company and moved the business to 187 Valley Rd. He and his wife, Beatrice, lived in Rumford. 203 Plainfield continued as the Reliable Tire and Supply Co in 1949 and then in 1950, the last year that George’s was listed in The Green Book, the site became home to the Olneyville Battery & Radio Service.
George’s also stands out for its location within Providence. While most other Green Book sites in Providence were located on the city’s east side, George’s is located well to the west near Routes 6 and 10, which were part of the city’s earliest highway systems. Interesting, Providence’s other automotive services were located around the eastern terminus of Broadway, near what is now the Providence Place Mall and I95. George’s might have found its more suburban location advantageous, as travelers from the west would encounter it first before heading into town. Somewhat orphaned today by an on-ramp to Route 6, 203 Plainfield St. miraculously survives today in considerably altered form.
