R. W. Lindholm Service Station
Encyclopedia
The R.W. Lindholm Service Station in Cloquet, Minnesota
, USA, is derived from a design by famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright
as part of his Broadacre City
project, a Utopian vision of a new type of urban landscape. It is the only gas station designed by Wright.
Built in 1956, its design is derived from the Broadacre Standardized Overhead Service Station which was designed as part of the Broadacre City
project in the 1930s. The idea was essentially totally de-centralized American urban landscape. The plan was never implemented anywhere, but it did foreshadow the decentralization that occurred after World War II
. Studding the landscape of Broadacre were Usonian houses, solitary skyscraper
s, and a wide variety of buildings needed to service the community. Wright and his apprentices designed and included many of these in Broadacre City models that toured the country.
This gas station turned out to be the only part of Frank Lloyd Wright's Broadacre designs that made it into reality. In deviation from the original Broadacre design, the Lindholm Station has gas pumps on the ground instead of overhead fuel lines. (This aspect of the design was changed to meet safety regulations.) Another feature of the original design is a second-story service waiting area over the attendant's area. This space is also found in the actual building, but is currently not used for this purpose.
This working Spur service station is open to the public. It is located at the corner of Minnesota State Highway 33
and Minnesota State Highway 45
in downtown Cloquet (approximately 25 miles South of Duluth, Minnesota
).
It was constructed in 1956 after the pre-fab Usonian James McBean Residence
in Rochester, Minnesota
, and before the Marin County Civic Center
in California, during a year that saw construction of 18 Wright buildings, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
in New York City
. The Lindholm family had previously had Wright design their home "Mäntylä" in 1952, also in Cloquet, Minnesota
. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
on September 11, 1985.
Cloquet, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,201 people, 4,636 households, and 2,967 families residing in the city. The population density was 317.9 people per square mile . There were 4,805 housing units at an average density of 136.4 per square mile...
, USA, is derived from a design by famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
as part of his Broadacre City
Broadacre City
Broadacre City was an urban or suburban development concept proposed by Frank Lloyd Wright throughout most of his lifetime. He presented the idea in his book The Disappearing City in 1932. A few years later he unveiled a very detailed twelve by twelve foot scale model representing a hypothetical...
project, a Utopian vision of a new type of urban landscape. It is the only gas station designed by Wright.
Built in 1956, its design is derived from the Broadacre Standardized Overhead Service Station which was designed as part of the Broadacre City
Broadacre City
Broadacre City was an urban or suburban development concept proposed by Frank Lloyd Wright throughout most of his lifetime. He presented the idea in his book The Disappearing City in 1932. A few years later he unveiled a very detailed twelve by twelve foot scale model representing a hypothetical...
project in the 1930s. The idea was essentially totally de-centralized American urban landscape. The plan was never implemented anywhere, but it did foreshadow the decentralization that occurred after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Studding the landscape of Broadacre were Usonian houses, solitary skyscraper
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
s, and a wide variety of buildings needed to service the community. Wright and his apprentices designed and included many of these in Broadacre City models that toured the country.
This gas station turned out to be the only part of Frank Lloyd Wright's Broadacre designs that made it into reality. In deviation from the original Broadacre design, the Lindholm Station has gas pumps on the ground instead of overhead fuel lines. (This aspect of the design was changed to meet safety regulations.) Another feature of the original design is a second-story service waiting area over the attendant's area. This space is also found in the actual building, but is currently not used for this purpose.
Watch the little gas station.... In our present gasoline service station you may see a crude beginning to such important advance decentralization; also see the beginning of the future humane establishment we are now calling the free city. Wherever service stations are located naturally these so often ugly and seemingly insignificant features will survive and expand.[The new city] ... is all around us in the haphazard making, the apparent forces to the contrary notwithstanding. All about us and no plan. The old order is breaking up
- - Frank Lloyd Wright, 1930
This working Spur service station is open to the public. It is located at the corner of Minnesota State Highway 33
Minnesota State Highway 33
Minnesota State Highway 33 is a highway in northeast Minnesota, which runs from its interchange with Interstate 35 at Cloquet and continues north to its northern terminus at its interchange with U.S. Highway 53 at Independence...
and Minnesota State Highway 45
Minnesota State Highway 45
Minnesota State Highway 45 is a short highway in northeast Minnesota, which runs from its intersection with State Highway 210 and Carlton County Road 1 in the city of Carlton and continues north to its northern terminus at its interchange with Interstate 35 and Carlton County Highway 45 in the...
in downtown Cloquet (approximately 25 miles South of Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...
).
It was constructed in 1956 after the pre-fab Usonian James McBean Residence
James McBean Residence
The James McBean Residence is a house in Rochester, Minnesota designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. This Usonian house is an example of the second type of the Marshall Erdman Prefab Houses. This house and the Walter Rudin House have the same floor plan and vary only in minor details such as paint color...
in Rochester, Minnesota
Rochester, Minnesota
Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on both banks of the Zumbro River, The city has a population of 106,769 according to the 2010 United States Census, making it Minnesota's third-largest city and the largest outside of the...
, and before the Marin County Civic Center
Marin County Civic Center
Marin County Civic Center, the last commission by Frank Lloyd Wright, is located in San Rafael, California. Groundbreaking for the Civic Center Administration Building took place in 1960, after Wright's death and under the watch of Wright's protégé, Aaron Green, and was completed in 1962. The...
in California, during a year that saw construction of 18 Wright buildings, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is a well-known museum located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States. It is the permanent home to a renowned collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early Modern, and contemporary art and also features special exhibitions...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The Lindholm family had previously had Wright design their home "Mäntylä" in 1952, also in Cloquet, Minnesota
Cloquet, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,201 people, 4,636 households, and 2,967 families residing in the city. The population density was 317.9 people per square mile . There were 4,805 housing units at an average density of 136.4 per square mile...
. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on September 11, 1985.