Of the many different residential and commercial buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, Cloquet, MN is the location of the only gas station built. Atlas Obscura explains how Wright originally designed a gas station for Buffalo, NY which was never built, but he convinced a Cloquet resident – for whom he designed a house – to built it for his business.
Upon arriving, it’s immediately obvious how this is not your typical gas station, even if you initially missed the blatant FL Wright signs. An exterior staircase to the right of the main entrance takes you to the lounge where customers wait for their car repair to be finished. To the left are the bays where cars are repaired. I believe an overhang to cover the pumps was part of the design but did not meet zoning requirements and was left out.
But ultimately, it’s a gas station: distinctive exterior but functional, unremarkable interiors. Unlike his residential work which often included bespoke furniture, you can’t expect bespoke, prairie-style gas pumps or car lifts.
We walked around, looked in the windows, took pictures, and went on our way.
Visit Logistics
The gas station’s address is 202 Cloquet Avenue, Cloquet, Minnesota and is two hours from Minneapolis/St. Paul via I-35. After existing the interstate, drive straight on MN-33 to Clouquet Avenue, the gas station is on the corner.
As the gas station is, somewhat surprisingly, a business and not a museum, so mid-week visits means dealing with normal gas station traffic. Our visit was on Sunday when the business is closed, which means no traffic but also no entrance into the building. I don’t know how much the current owners appreciate visitors, though a poster hangs in the front window describing its history.
