Leesburg Station Autowash: Back In Business

Firefighters fought the blaze at the Leesburg Station Auto Wash on Leesburg’s Catoctin Circle for several hours. “They did a great job and [helped us] save our second building,” said co-owner Ryan Magazzine. The facility consisted of two buildings: the main building that burned, where cleaning and detailing was performed, and the 165-foot long wash tunnel on the back of the property, which was not damaged. The main building was rebuilt – a several month process – and officially re-opened on Sunday, Nov. 15. The building resembles a Victorian-era train station and the previous building won numerous business and architectural awards. "It was really a very well-designed building," Leesburg town spokeswoman Kathleen R. Leidich told the Washington Post. The Magazzine’s decided on an almost identical design as their award-winning original. The building worked for us very well, Tom Magazzine said. “The only changes we’re making are cosmetic.” They secured the money from their insurance company (the fire claimed nearly $2 million in damages) and delved into the rebuilding process back in June—something that sparked a little déjà vu for the Magazzines. “I was saying, we just did this five years ago didn’t we?” Tom Magazzine said. “Why are we doing this again?” Luckily, while the fire destroyed the building’s walls and roof, it didn’t damage the foundation—savings months of the reconstruction. For the last few months, the company has been operating out of a temporary facility that they rented behind the Suzuki dealership on 610 E Market Street. The solution didn't meet business practicality – it was tough to turn any kind of profit – but the Magazzine's were able to keep on some of their longest and most trusted employees, rather than starting from scratch. The Magazzine family was back on the washing and detailing scene. “We were able to bring back about 25 employees and all of our managers,” Tom Magazzine said. On Monday, Nov. 16, Ryan Magazzine was visually excited as he watched car after car pass through he and his father's creation. "We've been waiting so long to get this back," he said. The facility is located at 149 Catoctin Cir SE. More information can be found at stationautowash.com.