A vintage-style gas station with Frank Lloyd Wright–inspired architecture features a green angular canopy topped with a tall spire labeled “F.L. Wright.” Two gas pumps stand in front of the building, which includes several garage doors and signage for Spur and Kelly Tires.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s only gas station stands in Cloquet, Minnesota, its angular canopy and “F.L. Wright” spire marking one of the architect’s most unexpected designs.


Only a 30-minute drive west of Duluth, Minnesota, on the edge of the St. Louis River, is a little logging town in the North Woods called Cloquet. This town began as a group of small settlements around three sawmills: Shaw Town, Nelson Town, and Johnson Town. Today, it has a population of a little over 12,000 people.


Many people would be very surprised to learn that this quiet little town is uniquely tied to America’s greatest architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. Cloquet is the location of the only functioning gas station ever designed and built by Mr. Wright. It is also the only piece of Wright’s Broadacre City project ever to be constructed.


In 1952, Ray and Emma Lindholm commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to build them a home on the south side of Cloquet. They named it Mantyla, which is Finnish for “Home of the Pines.”

When Frank Lloyd Wright discovered that Mr. Lindholm was in the petroleum business, he mentioned that he was interested in gas station design. Wright began working on a design for a standard prefabricated gas station in the 1920s. He hoped to eliminate the frequent “eyesores” along American highways and develop a facility that would offer various customer services in addition to the sale of fuel. Wright further expanded on this idea with a gas station design that he did in 1934 for his Utopian Broadacre City project.

The Lindholms loved their “home of the pines. " Apparently, that little conversation with Wright about gas stations stuck with Ray Lindholm. A few years later, when they decided to rebuild a Phillips 66 station, Mr. Lindholm reasoned,  “It was an experiment to see if a little beauty couldn’t be incorporated in something as commonplace as a service station.” He commissioned Wright to do the design.



Frank Lloyd Wright was eager to take on the project. He adapted the design of his gas station for Broadacre to fit Lindholm’s needs. Wright hoped that this station would become a prototype for gas stations in the future. He believed the service station would become the community's civic hub and play a large role in shaping a “less urban” America. 


Wright's Broadacre City was a framework for planning communities that focused on the physical, functional, and visual relationships between rural areas and the city center.


A uniquely designed gas station features a bold green angular roof and a central tower labeled “FLWright.” Two gas pumps stand in front of the building, which displays Spur and Kelly Tires signage.

The angular green canopy and “F.L. Wright” tower define this rare Wright‑designed gas station in Cloquet, Minnesota.


The station opened in 1958 and attracted notice far beyond Cloquet with its unique 60-foot tall illuminated roof-top pylon, glass observation lounge, and cantilevered copper canopy. At the time, a typical two-bay gas station only cost $5,000 to build, but Wright's steel-canopied version with its copper roof cost $20,000. 


The cantilevered canopy extends 32 feet out from the glass wall. The original plans called for overhanging gas pumps with hoses coming down from the roof. Wright equated them to being like "mother's milk" coming down from above. The hanging hoses would have allowed for free movement of the cars and eliminated the need for service islands, but local codes prohibited their installation. 


The dangling hoses were a recurring design feature in Frank Lloyd Wright's gas station plans. In 1927, he drew plans with this same feature for a gas station in downtown Buffalo, New York. Those plans were finally used in 2014 to build a station inside the Pierce-Arrow Museum in Buffalo. Although it is not a functioning station, it features overhead gas tanks. It cost $1.3 million to build.


A vintage gas station with a dramatic, futuristic overhang resembling a wing extends over a glass‑walled office area. Gas pumps sit in the foreground, and the bold, angular design reflects mid‑century Googie architecture. Vehicles and small buildings appear in the background beneath a clear sky.

This striking mid‑century gas station features a soaring wing‑shaped overhang and glass‑fronted office beneath its futuristic canopy. Can you spot the little red signature tile?


Wright referred to the second-floor observation deck as the “Waiting Station.” Stations at the time were mainly places to get gas and go. Wright saw the station as a cultural center, somewhere to meet a friend, get your car fixed, and have a cup of coffee while you waited. 


The interior of Wright’s Waiting Station features large slanted glass windows overlooking a busy street. Two modern black chairs and a clear coffee table sit on a reddish‑brown floor beside a planter of tall grasses. The geometric ceiling has recessed lighting, and built‑in radiators line the walls. Vehicles and buildings are visible outside through the expansive windows.

Slanted glass walls, geometric ceiling panels, and minimalist furnishings define the interior of Wright’s Waiting Station, a striking example of mid‑century design.

A small interior vestibule features a wooden door labeled “Women” beside another wooden door with a small display shelf holding a framed item. To the right, a glass door marked “Lounge” leads to another room. The space includes wood paneling, concrete block walls, a metal trash can, and a textured ceiling.
A stairway with red concrete steps splits in two directions, one set rising straight ahead and another curving to the right. Beige walls with horizontal lines frame the space, and a metal handrail runs along the central wall. A cylindrical metal trash can sits at the top of the stairs, with a small wall plaque and visible electrical conduits nearby. A recessed ceiling light and a green‑tinted window or vent complete the mid‑century architectural scene.
A mid‑century modern restroom interior features a single white porcelain sink with exposed plumbing, two faucets, and a mirror above it. Beige square tiles cover the walls, and a reddish‑brown floor leads to a wooden stall door with a geometric cut‑out panel. A hand dryer is mounted beside the stall, and a stainless steel trash can sits near the entrance. Recessed square ceiling lights illuminate the space.
An architectural blueprint of Frank Lloyd Wright’s service station design shows a symmetrical floor plan labeled with spaces including Rest Room, Lav, Pay, Office, Store Room, and Work Area. The drawing features Wright’s geometric layout style and is titled “Service Station for Lindholm Oil Co., Cloquet, Minnesota — Frank Lloyd Wright, Architect.”


In the garage's work bays, skylights over the cars' engine compartments provided natural light to the mechanics.


The use of ceramic tile walls, cypress wood trim, decorative planters, and skylights in the service bays set this station apart. Gas Station architecture throughout the country was influenced by Wright’s design. Phillips Petroleum Company used several of Wright's design principles in subsequent stations. They copied the V-shaped canopy at other locations, the service bay arrangement around the office, and large canted windows.


​Sadly, Wright never saw the completed gas station. The R.W. Lindholm Service Station construction was finished the year before Wright died, but he was busy working on the Guggenheim Museum in New York at the time.


The R.W. Lindholm Service Station was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.


R.W. Lindholm Service Station

AKA

Frank Lloyd Wright Gas Station 

202 Cloquet Ave, Cloquet, Minnesota


Don’t bother searching the town for Mantyla. The Lindholm’s home was dissembled and moved from Cloquet sometime in early 2016. The Lindholm House now resides at Polymath Park in Acme, Pennsylvania, a 130-acre architectural park not far from his most famous home Fallingwater and also Kentuck Knob. Mantyla is now open for tours and guests can spend the night in it.


Not every image makes it into my blog. If you enjoyed the photos in this article, please check out my Minnesota Collection for more pictures from this amazing state, or visit my Image Gallery with over 4000 images of locations around the United States.



A cozy lounge with exposed brick walls and leather furniture features a large framed photograph of the Frank Lloyd Wright Gas Station hanging above a central sofa. The room includes two armchairs, warm ambient lighting, shelves stocked with liquor bottles, and a wooden coffee table holding snacks, remote controls, and two beer bottles.

Celebrate one of Wright’s most unexpected designs with this gallery‑ready print, shown here as the statement piece in a warm, brick‑lined lounge.


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