Once a haven for weary travelers near the end of the Great Depression, Johnson’s Station in Longmont has been revitalized and now acts as a gathering place for a different sort of crowd.
But even as the owners shuttle in the new, the building speaks to the history of travel. While the original Johnson’s Corner Gas opened in 1937, it wasn’t until 2003 that the historic building was relocated to New Prospect Town in order to save it from demolition.
For two decades, drivers along U.S. Highway 287 could spot a decrepit building in south Longmont. From afar it looked like a squatty, white-cement structure with faded pink and neon stripes. Up close it didn’t look much better. Over the years the former gas station appeared forgotten amid the neighborhood’s growing landscape of vibrant homes and businesses. Now, it’s the town’s newest hot spot.
Opened September 13, the new Johnson’s Station restaurant and bar, complete with rooftop mingling spaces, melds past with present. While nothing save the shape remains of the gas station days, the building now embraces modern life, while still tipping a hat to its vintage trucker-stop roots.
Celebrating an Iconic History
Designed in 1937 by Colorado architect Eugene Groves, Johnson’s Station, ne Johnson’s Corner Gas, has an Art Deco-Pueblo style reminiscent of a white-adobe house. The building originally sat at 250 South Main St. near Johnstown, right by the intersection of today’s Ken Pratt Boulevard.
Gas station founder Joe Johnson had a vision to create something more than just a refueling station. He wanted a spot for community members and travelers to feel welcome. The one now in Prospect New Town was the first of Johnson’s five locations, including a second spot in Longmont.
The name Johnson’s Corner Gas became famous thanks to Jack Kerouac’s famous 1957 novel, On the Road. In it he detailed his U.S. travels in 1947, where the author allegedly stopped at the North Longmont location. While that’s not the one preserved, it still gives off the sense of history and a time before “van life” became a popular hashtag.
Keeping the Vintage Gas Station Alive
The property’s old-school character shines from the outset. Literally thanks to a colorful, neon sign re-created for the restaurant. A local collector donated vintage gas pumps, which will turn into electric-vehicle chargers.
Maintaining the history became critical to the restaurant’s retro gas-station vibe, said Giovanni Leone, co-founder of Johnson’s Station with Colton Cartwright of Perpetual First, a development company that transforms adaptive-reuse properties into food and beverage spaces. Leone runs the business alongside real-estate developer Zachary Nassar, who purchased the building in 2020; Hank Grant and Justin Riley, co-founders of The Rayback Collective and Improper City; and restaurateur Josh Dinar of River & Woods and co-founder and publisher of DiningOut Magazine.
To create the modern eatery, the team kept the station’s original walls and windows as part of the restaurant’s design.
“There’s always challenges,” said Leone, speaking of low walls and windows, and odd turns and curves. “It’s the kind of space that tells you what it needs to be, and that’s what really gives it character.”
Situated inside the former garage on the building’s westernmost side, a sophisticated bar pays homage to the station’s Art Deco history with high-end finishes. The rooftop bar also resides on this side. The idea, said Leone, is to juxtapose the elegant design against its casual gas-station atmosphere.
The Restaurant’s Retro Refinement
Walk inside the restaurant’s original entrance, opposite the bar, and imagine the old gas station’s public space. Here customers once ordered from the soda fountain and sat in booths. Now, diners will find plenty of open seating and a counter featuring treats by the Little Man Ice Cream Company.
Overhead a beam marks where a wall used to separate the public area from the former private two-story living quarters, which included a kitchen, a single bathroom, and two bedrooms. Today that same space serves as a cozy seating area with a public restroom.
While Johnson’s Corner Gas has long been closed, some locals still remember it fondly. For example, Leona Palombo, who lived there two years with her family from 1965 to 1967 when her father Bob Church worked there as a manager. She said she loved watching the world through the building’s windows, low enough for her to see traffic from the front or the kitchen to their giant backyard. That space now hosts an expansive outdoor turf featuring fire pits and open seating. But pay attention, guests of the new Johnson’s Station will find some original booths, covered for year-round use.
Palombo also recalls the long-gone ice cream counter and stools, where she and her sister could only visit after hours.
“We weren’t necessarily allowed out in the commercial area growing up,” she said. “But at night after it closed, I can remember going out there with Mom and Dad, and getting ice cream out of the ice cream machine.”
Energetic Americana Fare
Because the history and branding of Johnson’s Corner Gas was already there, said Leone, the team decided to go with a menu showcasing modern interpretations of classic Americana diner fare such as burgers (starting at $8.95), fries ($6.50), and onion rings ($7.95). Plus a taco sampler ($13.95), since, added Leone, “everybody in Colorado loves tacos.”
Diners can head out back to the food counter and rev up with dishes including the fully-loaded Diesel Burger ($18.50), a bison patty with brie cheese, caramelized-onion bacon jam, and black truffle aioli. Or take the chicken route with the Country Clucker ($14.95), a take on a Nashville hot-chicken sandwich served with ranch dressing, slaw, and pickle. Save some mileage on your wallet with the Station Burger ($8.95), a grass-fed beef patty on a potato bun, plus the restaurant’s signature station sauce.
Libations include an array of domestic brews, natural wines, and exclusive cocktails and mocktails. Sample traditional sips with a twist like None of Your Bees-Wax ($12), an updated Bee’s Knees cocktail with absinthe. Look for spirit-forward options such as the Espresso Martini on tap ($12), made with vodka, cold brew, Longmont’s Spirit Hound Coffee Liquor, and simple syrup. And for those going down the shoutout to Chappell Roan road, order the refreshing Pink Pony Club ($12) with strawberry-infused vodka, St. Germaine, and sparkling rosé poured over mint-strawberry ice cubes.
The Overall Vibe of Johnson’s Station
The modern restaurant remains faithful to its hospitable history, welcoming families with young kids, couples, travelers, daytrippers, and more. Whether chatting inside at the bar or enjoying dinner in a quiet corner, Leone said guests should feel free to shift, move, and discover the space throughout.
Upcoming programming at Johnson’s Station includes weekly trivia nights, live music, comedy performances, makers’ markets, and pet-adoption events, to name a few. By hosting the community in the space, the team said it feels this is a nod to Joe Johnson’s legacy in creating a community environment.
“It’s nice to just carry that lineage forward and keep giving [the building] new life over and over again,” added Leone.
Visit Johnson’s Station daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Available for private events. 1111 Neon Forest Circle, Longmont, johnsonsstation.com
