What Does the Plaque Say at Grand Junction Colorado’s Abandoned Grocery Store?

By now you've driven past the abandoned grocery store at 2nd and Pitkin in Grand Junction, Colorado. Have you seen the tiny little plaque on the face of the building? What does it say?

The old Stranges Grocery at 226 Pitkin Avenue is long gone. There's information to be found about the building, but unless you're Superman, you've probably never seen it.

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A 113-Year-Old Grocery Store in Grand Junction Colorado

According to mesa.marmot.org, the building at 226 Pitkin Avenue was a family grocery store owned by Carl Stranger. US Census Records indicated the store was in operation by 1909, possibly earlier. You'll find the building is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Back in the day, rooms on the second floor were available for rent. Wouldn't it be cool to live in a building such as this? Okay, so the train depot is right across the street. Train whistles at 2:30 in the morning never hurt anyone.

Reading the Historical Plaque at This Grand Junction, Colorado Building

If you look closely, you'll see a small plaque on the face of the building at the far west end. What does it say? Even if someone knew the plaque was there, it would be impossible to read what it says, not at 35 MPH heading down Pitkin Avenue.

No Need For You To Stand On the Corner of 2nd and Pitkin in Grand Junction Colorado

The weather's getting nasty, so I'll save you the hassle. I stopped by today to get a photo of the plaque. Until today I wasn't aware it existed. With that in mind, it's possible you may not have known about it, either. Here you go:

For those with eyesight like mine, here's a closer look.

On a Side Note

The speed limit at the 200 block of Pitkin is in fact 35 miles per hour. It seems the motorists driving down that street at 9 o'clock this morning didn't realize that. While I was standing on the street looking like an idiot, cars were zipping past me at 45 to 50 MPH, so fast it almost blew my hair off. Let's slow it down a little.

Awesome Bit of Grand Junction Colorado History

I've always enjoyed this building. During my 52 years in Grand Junction, it's always looked pretty much the way it does now.

Should you choose to get more information on this building, use the reference number 13000079 when searching the National Register Database.