USA Gasoline has closed in Cheyenne!

"Sorry Out of Service" cover on a gas pump at the former USA Gasoline - Optopolis

As of March 19th, it appears that the USA Gasoline on E Pershing Boulevard had closed. The inside appeared to be emptied of most products, and the gas pumps were marked with Out of order/Not in Service covers.

A glimpse at the history

The Laramie County Property Assessor GIS map notes that the building where USA Gasoline was present was built in the year 2000. It appears that Albertsons Express (Albertsons' gas station) was the original tenant of the building.

A photo of the Albertsons Express taken around the turn of the 2010s - Optopolis

USA Gasoline took over the space around the start of the 2010s. There are permits from 2011 in the Cheyenne City Planning Website which address new signage being added to the building for USA Gasoline; the two permits for the signage both submitted at the end of 2011 expired in mid-2012.

U Save Automatic (or, as we know it, USA Gasoline) was owned by Tesoro Corporation at the time the Cheyenne station opened. Tesoro was renamed to Andeavor in 2017, and in 2018, Marathon Petroleum acquired Andeavor.

View of the USA Gasoline during an evening of December 2019 - Optopolis

In 2019, Marathon Petroleum was in the process of rebranding previous Andeavor-owned stores to the Speedway brand, which included 91 Arizona locations as noted by the Arizona Daily Star. However, none of the USA Gasoline stations in the state of Wyoming were ever fully rebranded.

At least in the case of the Cheyenne store, the only "rebranding" seen by Optopolis is on an emergency procedure sticker posted around the property, which includes the text "Speedway LLC #4091;" and also a new Speedway place marker on Google Maps.

Warning and Emergency Procedure stickers seen at the former USA Gasoline. Notice the Speedway label. - Optopolis

In 2021, 7-Eleven acquired Speedway. Perhaps, this explains why the county property assessor notes the USA Gasoline property as being owned by "Western Refining Retail LLC C/O 7 Eleven Inc."

Cheyenne's Speedway/USA Gasoline has closed.

On March 19th, it was discovered here at Optopolis that something about the status of the USA Gasoline on E Pershing Boulevard was... not adding up very nicely. The gas pumps were shielded off with caution tape and "out of service" covers. At a glimpse from afar, it appeared products inside of the station had been removed (although shelving and fixtures could still be seen inside the space).

Caution tape surrounds the pumps, and covers make pump usage difficult - Optopolis

At the time of capturing the photos (and recent YouTube video), there were no signs around the building indicating whether the Cheyenne station closed, but after asking in the Cheyenne Community Connections group, it is clear that the station has indeed permanently closed. In addition, loads of people also told Optopolis that the USA Gasoline Stations in Laramie and Casper respectively have closed. At businesses nearby the Laramie and Casper stations, workers shared similar information with Optopolis.

It isn't currently clear what will come to the Cheyenne's former USA Gasoline although there are talks of what to do with it. Erin Fagan, Planner II of Cheyenne, mentioned that permits for the removal of the pumps and canopy are being assembled. At this time, according to the Cheyenne City Planning website, permits haven't yet been officially submitted, and permits would still have to be approved for the work to take place.

USA Gasoline standalone sign that once displayed "Albertsons Express" branding. If the camera were to rotate toward the ground, you could see where the air pump once stood.

At this time, no significant demolition has taken place besides the removal of the air pump that once stood at the northeast corner of the property. If more information about the closure of the Cheyenne USA Gasoline comes available, this article likely will be updated as necessary.

Update 03/24: Cheyenne's station is definitely closed

Passing by the USA Gasoline on March 26th, there are now signs that are posted in the windows on both sides of the building that state that the "Store is closed."

"Store is closed" sign in the window facing Ridge Road - Optopolis

Fixtures still remain inside of the building although the remaining products (including cans of Red Bull and at least a can of DrPepper) observed in the recent YouTube video here at Optopolis do appear to have been removed as they are no longer on the shelf.

Update 07/30: Canopy is demolished!

On the night of July 26th, construction equipment could be seen placed around the property including an excavator and a dump truck. At that time, the canopy still stood. However, by the evening of July 29th, the canopy that hung over the gas pumps and building had been removed with very little remnants still present.

Remnants of the overhang could be seen at the location of the former USA Gasoline, including the bottom part of a support pole still sticking out of the ground. - Optopolis

The description of the Demo Commercial permit in the Cheyenne City Planning Website indicate that the work included the removal of the gas station fueling system, the two fuel tanks, and the canopy. At the moment, it doesn't appear the building is set to be demolished, but time will tell what the fate of the building will be... a new tenant perhaps? Demolition? Who knows.

In the mean time, the northern-most Ridge Road entry to Albertsons is blocked off. You can still use the southern-most Ridge Road entry, or alternatively, access the area from East Pershing Boulevard or Holmes Street.

Do you remember Albertsons Express? Have you visited the station as either USA Gasoline or Albertsons Express? Let us know your thoughts of this closure as well as what you'd like to see replace the former gas station.

Originally published: 03/24/2024 at 10:15 AM MT

Updated: 03/26/2024 at 11:31 PM MT to affirm that both Casper and Laramie have closed and add additional clarity about the situation with new discoveries by Optopolis. Added a section that confirms beyond a doubt that the Cheyenne store has closed.

Updated: 07/30/2024 at 7:46 PM MT to add information about the demolition of the canopy, fuel tanks, and fueling system.

Location: Cheyenne, WY, USA

Comments

Vickie Luna said…
When it was Albertsons express as a school bus driver we often stopped there in between our morning routes. Always courteous and welcoming even if it was only for a quick bathroom break. When USA took over their employees no longer let the school bus drivers use their facilities we had to go to the Albertsons. Not a very friendly crew working there always felt like we were an inconvenience for them.
Mar 24, 2024, 10:53:00 AM
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