Highway Garage

The Highway Garage is valued as a reflection of Cloverdale's response to the increasing use of the automobile and modernization in transportation methods in the early twentieth century. The confluence of passenger and freight rail and early highways had spurred Cloverdale's rapid growth as a major transportation hub. During the 1920s and 1930s, more roads were being opened up, surfaced with durable paving that facilitated the use of the automobile. With increased automobile traffic, the demand grew for service stations that could provide refined petroleum products as well as mechanical services. Built in 1919 as a livery stable, within a year this building reopened as an automotive garage, known as the Highway Garage - a name it carried for a number of years. The location of this garage is significant as a reminder that in 1923 the Pacific Highway, an important north-south transportation route, was completed along 176 Street. The Highway Garage was later rebuilt as the local outlet for Imperial Oil, one of the largest of the chain service stations that was emerging at the time.

The Highway Garage is notable for its association with the Hamre family, Cloverdale residents of Norwegian extraction who operated this business for several decades. In 1920, Charles G. Hamre and Frank Carmichael acquired the original livery stable and converted it to a garage. Carmichael later sold his shares to Hamre, who entered into a partnership in 1938 with his brother Edmond Obie Hamre (1900-1958). Ed Hamre was involved in numerous community and fraternal organizations, and was the founder of the local fire brigade and Cloverdale Fire Chief for almost thirty years. During that time, the garage was the location of the town's fire siren and was where local emergency calls were answered.

Furthermore, the Highway Garage is of heritage value for its evolving architecture, that demonstrates the growth of this business and the larger community. Originally a wooden industrial shed, the structure was rebuilt to accommodate changing needs and functions. In 1938, a sophisticated and stylish bowed roof structure was constructed, with a front canopy projecting over the pumps, illustrating the increasing growth of automobile traffic and the sophistication of gasoline company marketing and branding. When a highway bypass was constructed to divert traffic around downtown Cloverdale, this garage lost its main clientele and was converted for commercial use.