Thursday, July 16, 2020

Bethesda Sunoco becomes Exxon station

Exxon has returned to Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Bethesda. Long associated with the legendary landmark Eastham's Exxon, the energy brand has taken over what has been Bethesda Sunoco at 8240 Wisconsin Avenue for 31 years.
They continue to have the only full-scale car wash in town. I have to admit that Sunoco has a much more colorful station design. If you swear by Sunoco gas, you can still find Sunoco at 5201 River Road and 2450 Wisconsin Avenue NW.
But this location is all about convenience if you live nearby, and now it has restored the Esso/Exxon legacy on Bethesda's main drag. Eastham's held the brand at 7100 Wisconsin Avenue from 1929 until it closed in 2012.


11 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is near Battery Lane, correct? I think that site has already been earmarked for demolition.

Anonymous said...

I personally wouldn’t put any car I care about through that car wash!

Anonymous said...

Isn't that site still going to be redeveloped though? What's the status of redevelopment at the corner of Wisconsin and Cordell?

Anonymous said...

The Sunoco there offered free air. Does the Exxon there still offer this for free?

concerned_citizen said...

that car wash stinks.

Robert Dyer said...

7:39/9:00: There is a plan ready to go by Donohoe for an office building on the property, but it appears to have temporarily stalled out because they're trying to get a tenant rather than build it on spec, is my understanding.

Anonymous said...

"Bethesda Sunoco at 8240 Wisconsin Avenue for 31 years."

Not sure where you got this. The site was Esso/Exxon, and the adjacent Lotus Chinese restaurant up until 1998, when the Shell station moved up from its former site between the old Hot Shoppes and Pumphrey's funeral home, when the current larger station was built.

It's changed brands twice since then - to Texaco, and then to Sunoco in the past decade. The previous Sunoco station was where the 7-11 is now, on the southwest corner of Wisconsin and Fairmont Avenues, until about 2002.

Robert Dyer said...

5:50: I got it from the Bethesda Sunoco website - I don't know if the same owner switched locations, or owned the station and switched brands, but they claim to have been in business 31 years.

Gas stations switch brands all the time, and I can't possibly recall the sequence for dozens of stations in Bethesda in my lifetime.

Anonymous said...

Echoing 10:04, I hope they keep the free air. I also actually like the vacuum/car wash set up. But then I have an old Kia.

Learning

Unknown said...

The truth is.... Donohue had the address changed...not 8240..8265..I believe...nih backed out of deal.to build bio lab there...memo Or what ever Corp name he uses...owns half of the stations in DC area... hilltop,Glen echo,river road...exxons...bought lease for 5 to ten years... Donohue still intended to sell when construction slows down in Bethesda..c store and carwash at Bethesda Exxon..subleased by issy...and Bay area sub leased by him to Mohammed...no auto shop license with county....no tax id ...none posted...I asked....no lottery..in c store...they still use don and Ian s sign out front...best auto repair..2016_2018...so low budget they put line through it and put new up in corner.... Be careful Bethesda...nih is quietly buying up 814 area in Bethesda to rezone for hazemat or bio tech buildings....

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mahcc said...

Do you know if the mechanics moved their shop elsewhere? I loved them.