Roadside architecture starts to blend together after a while. When we do pay attention, occasionally something stands out and is inspiring. Zaha Hadid said two things regarding quality design: “You can’t teach it; you can only inspire.” and “The pragmatists leap out and scuttle anything interesting”. The scuttling of anything interesting could apply to most of what we see roadside. Thankfully some of the good buildings still get through, for instance what is found in Robert Venturi’s Learning From Las Vegas.
Gas stations of course have an interesting history. A lot has been written on the subject and there are some local examples worth noting such as an obscure ruin of a gas station near the corner of CA Route 61 (Central Avenue) and Park Avenue in Alameda, California, as shown below. It is one of many gas stations built upon a 1933 prototype station.
This streamlined 1933 prototype shown above was a step up in design as compared to the previous typical station design, one which is shown below in this 1931 photo taken in Dayton, Ohio:
A similar pre-1933 flat roof and brick version station still existed up until a few years ago n the Sunset District of San Francisco, now an empty lot as shown below:
In another blog it would be interesting to explore gas station architecture as it evolved into a myriad of geometries after WW2, but I think much has been written about it already. Below though, as an example, is a 1955 Smith and Williams mid-century prototype. Many gas station shapes and sizes were amassed around this time to attract roadside attention.
Another roadside attraction is the ever-present convenience store. Below is the Park and Shop, one of the first convenience stores in 1930, Washington, D.C.
The architecture is credited to Arthur B. Hinton who decided to cloak the store with some Colonial Revival detailing, 44 cars and 10 stores. The design became the original American strip mall roadside convenience store architecture.
Although 7-11 started in 1927 in Texas, it expanded its many franchises in the 1950’s, situating them within convenient travel distance no matter where you are on a Texas main highway. Its design has remained unchanged since, although it is currently starting a revamping program. Then came Howard Johnson’s and Stuckeys to do the same. Design wise we have come a long way since these examples, looking at the roadside convenience store called Air Guitar in Gilbert, Arizona. This store was designed by architects I have long admired, the Phoenix firm debartolo architects. It is a straightforward glass box with solar protected overhangs, an immaculately detailed and simple solution. Roughly the size of your average 7-11 with parking on site, this Air Guitar location is a truly beautiful piece of roadside architecture.
Blog Post written by David Tritt, Senior Architect. Inspired by Corey Saling, Architectural Designer.
