Roof finial, c.1980s
These two bricks and the roof finial were recovered from the small Tudor-style building at 2 W. Northwest Highway on the day it was demolished in March 2021. Almost 100 years ago, in 1927, this building first opened as the Moehling Service Station. John C. Moehling, also owner of Mount Prospect’s first store, built this service station in order to serve the growing number of cars in the area. By the early 1930s John C.’s son, John P., began managing the station. The bricks and finial are now part of the Historical Society’s collection.
The service station remained in operation for many years under different owners. In 1981 George and Dee Zoumaras diverged from that trend and opened Submarine Express, a sandwich shop, in this same building. By 1990 the timber-frame façade features, including this roof finial, were added to the structure. The exterior transformation helped this historic building better match the style of its neighboring historic buildings in downtown Mount Prospect. George and Dee’s son, Tom, later managed the restaurant. Over its almost 40 years in business, Sub Express became a local favorite and one of the Historical Society’s most enthusiastic supporters.