History:
 

Located at 2740 N. Van Ness Boulevard, between Brown and Princeton Avenues, Van Ness Auto Repair also occupies a unique niche in Fresno's History. Chevron Oil built California's first service station on the site in 1926; local resident Russ Clements purchased the station two years later and operated it as a full-service Chevron station until his death in 1986. Since Jim Medina purchased the station a dozen years ago it has been operated as a repair facility only, though the four antique pumps, two Standards, one Chevron and one Sinclair, have been retained for display purposes. The site has been placed on Fresno's register of Historic Resources. Many nearby residents consider the station an integral part of neighborhood history. Along with many of his neighbors, Medina decorates the business during the annual Christmas Tree Lane festivities.