The site of James Dean's last photograph

This is the location where James Dean's last photograph was taken.

It is situated at 14331 Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks, California.

In 1955, this corner was occupied by a small Mobilgas gas station. These days, it is the location of a Whole Foods store.

The photograph was taken on the same day that Dean died in a car crash. The actor had stopped at this station to fill up his Porsche 550 Spyder, which he intended to race in Salinas.

Initially, the plan was to transport the vehicle on the back of a trailer (visible in the background).

However, Dean made the fateful decision to "break the engine in" by driving it to Salinas himself.

The actor never made it to his destination that day. While he was en route, he was involved in a fatal collision on California State Route 46, near Shandon.

The Mobilgas station where he filled up is long gone, as it was demolished three years later in 1958.

Although a gas station called Casa de Petrol stood at this corner until 2016, it was not the same one that Dean visited that day.

At the time of his death, the lot that Casa de Petrol would later occupy (14325 Ventura Boulevard) was home to the Rosalie LaMore real estate office.

The name of the office is clearly visible in the background of Dean's photograph.

Research indicates that the actor actually stopped at a smaller Mobilgas station that was closer to the corner of Ventura Boulevard and Tyrone Avenue.

Note: A special thanks to Steve Conlin for providing us with information pertaining to the two stations.