When a beloved roadside diner was demolished in Rancho Cucamonga, residents feared the century-old service station next door would be next.

They organized, petitioned the city and won landmark protection over the property owner’s objections. It was the first time Rancho Cucamonga had designated a landmark without an owner’s consent. But protection did not mean rescue. The rear garage collapsed two years later, and the station continued to deteriorate.

Route 66 Inland Empire California took ownership in 2013, then assembled the restoration piece by piece: donated windows, concrete and paint; discounted work from local contractors; grants, fundraising and hundreds of volunteer hours. Beneath decades of white paint, crews uncovered the station’s original Richfield yellow, blue and red.

It reopened as a museum in 2015.