flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Frank Lloyd Wright's posthumous gas station opens in Buffalo

Frank Lloyd Wright's posthumous gas station opens in Buffalo

This never built design is like a time-capsule that preserved the enthusiasm and optimism for cars in early 20th century United States.


By BD+C Staff | July 8, 2014
Photos courtesy of the Buffalo Transportation Pierce-Arrow Museum
Photos courtesy of the Buffalo Transportation Pierce-Arrow Museum

A fireplace in a gas station – imagine getting a permit to build something like that today. But that is exactly what legendary American architect Frank Lloyd Wright thought up for a gas station he designed more than half a century ago, and that was exactly what was built in the Buffalo Transportation Pierce-Arrow Museum in Buffalo, New York, for public viewing.

The gas station was intended for creation in Buffalo at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Cherry Street, Architizer reports. From the two gas stations Wright designed, only the one in Cloquet, Minnesota was built, also posthumously in 1965.

Check out this special report from Buffalo local news station WIVBTV.

 

The gas station embodies American modernism as coined by Wright, and is not short of the early 20th century enthusiasm for cars. The station’s architecture is anchored by a large set of stairs that lead to a second-story observation room for customers to wait as their vehicles are serviced. It has a fireplace, restrooms, a copper roof ad two 45-foot poles that Wright referred to as totems.

For more information, visit the museum’s official website.

Related Stories

Market Data | Dec 20, 2017

Architecture billings upturn shows broad strength

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the November ABI score was 55.0, up from a score of 51.7 in the previous month.

Public Health Labs | Dec 19, 2017

10 takeaways from SmithGroup’s ‘lab of the future’ initiative

The LAB2050 initiative digs into the scientific trends, technologies, and economics that will shape tomorrow’s research laboratory environments.

Office Buildings | Dec 19, 2017

How do we measure human performance, and what does it mean for the workplace?

There are many new tools and methods that are beginning to look more comprehensively to evaluate organizational well-being.

Sports and Recreational Facilities | Dec 18, 2017

Canada’s newest funicular makes Edmonton’s largest green space more accessible

The incline elevator is located in downtown Edmonton and was publicly funded.

Sponsored | Building Team | Dec 12, 2017

3 tips to address the top causes of budget overruns

The most cited issues are communication breakdowns, inadequate fees for the work provided, and unrealistic deadlines or schedules.

Multifamily Housing | Dec 12, 2017

Call for technical experts: Dog wash station design

The editors of Multifamily Design + Construction magazine need your expertise.

Government Buildings | Dec 11, 2017

Is this the world’s most humane prison?

The C.F. Møller-designed prison’s architecture supports the inmates’ and staff’s mental and physical well-being.

Architects | Dec 7, 2017

Snow Kreilich Architects receives the 2018 AIA Architecture Firm Award

Julie Snow, FAIA, founded the firm in Minneapolis in 1995, and later was joined by partner Matt Kreilich, AIA.

Architects | Dec 7, 2017

2018 AIA Gold Medal awarded to James Stewart Polshek

In 1963 Polshek started his first architecture firm, James Stewart Polshek Architect.

Architects | Dec 4, 2017

Architects to Congress: ‘You're making a terrible mistake’

House and Senate gut historic building credits and penalize architecture firms.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category

Warehouses

California bill would limit where distribution centers can be built

A bill that passed the California legislature would limit where distribution centers can be located and impose other rules aimed at reducing air pollution and traffic. Assembly Bill 98 would tighten building standards for new warehouses and ban heavy diesel truck traffic next to sensitive sites including homes, schools, parks and nursing homes.




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021