Frank Lloyd Wright Built Gas Station

in Cloquet Minnesota

A FLW Designed and Operational Gas Station Built in 1958

under the name Lindholm

in

Cloquet, Minnesota

Added to the National Registry of Historic Places

September 11, 1985

In 1927, at the height of Wright's career, he designed a gas station. In 1958, a year before Wright passed this station became a reality.  Wright had designed a house for a resident of Cloquet named R.W. Lindholm who happened to be in the petroleum business as owner of Best Oil.* Wright never gave up on his plan and knowing what his client did for a living he convinced Lindholm to build this gas station.  The station was part of Wright's broader goal to build an entire city of his own design .. a place he called "Broadacre City". It was to be a kind of city of the future and one that relied on automobiles.  Therefore, he gave the drivers of Cloquet what he thought the future needed in a gas station including an observation deck where the attendants could watch for cars in warmth and comfort. 

Wright's Broadacre City never happened, but at least the Cloquet gas station did.  It opened just one year before Wright passed at the age of 91.  Through the years the station became owned by Lindholm's grandson though now a Frank Lloyd Wright fan has purchased the station and it is more of a museum, today.  It is unknown whether visitors can still fill up their car's gas tank at the station though a trip to Cloquet might reveal the answer. 

Broadacre City

The station features a copper roof, topped by a 60-foot pylon.  The concrete-block walls are subtly stepped back every third row  which give a bit of helf to the bottom of the building, counterbalancing the gigantic contilever of the roof.  The roof very effectively keeps the snow off it while the pitch of the roof stops the snow from piling up, so it's not just for show. Cypress wood fittings can be found throughout the building. 

Originally, Wright had wanted to use gravity-fed hoses and nozzles to fill up the cars, but had to settle for a more conventional plan of ground-level pumps because of safety regulations.  The station had and still has a futuristic vibe even after the station was sold.  That is because the current owner and Minnesota native, William Andrew Volna is an archectural fan of Frank Lloyd Wright.  Volna purchased the business from Lindholm's grandchildren in 2018. 

As a sidenote, I learned William Andrew Volna also has interest in old theatres, as do I.  He has restored the Hollywood Theatre and its original art deco design in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

hollywoodmpls.com 

https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/10/11/frank-lloyd-wrights-only-gas-station-is-sold-for-the-first-time/

*The Frank Lloyd Wright house in Minnesota built for R.W. Lindholm was eventually dismantled and moved to Pennsylvania.  The 1950s dwelling is one of the Usonian homes  was moved from its original site to a private estate located about 20 miles South of Fallingwater, a famous FLW home near Mill Run, Pennsylvania. The R.W. Lindholm often referred to as Mantyla which is Finnish for "house among the pines" was built in 1952 in the small town of Cloquet in northeastern Minnesota.  The residence was designed for businessman Ray Lindholm and his wife, Emmy.  It is an example of one of Wright's late period Unsonian homes which were created in the 1930s during the Great Depression. Encompassing approximately 2,300 square feet, the low-slung dwelling was constructed of concrete block with a roof clad in reddish Ludowici tiles.  Standard dimensional lumber was used for rafters while cypress was used for window frames and built-in cabinetry.  

The client's grandson, Peter McKinney and his wife, Julene ended up with the Lindholm House where they lived for many years.  In 2016, they began working with the Chicago-based Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy to figure out how to ensure the home's longevity.  Its secluded setting had changed significantly over the decades with commerical development now dominating the area.  The Conservancy worked with the McKinneys to market the house to potential buyers who would keep the house on it original site which had become encroached by retail development along a brightly lit and noisy commerical strip.  The house was put up for sale, but there were no suitable takers over a period of 10 years.  The McKinneys decided to donate the house to the Usonian Preservation, an organization that owns a 130-acre estate in Acme, Pennsylvania called Polymath Park.

Barbara Gordon, executive director of the Conservancy said relocating the house to the PA property was the best option.  The Conservancy has long been not in favor of moving a Wright house unless its demolition is imminent or its site becomes so compromised that it is unmarketable.  The McKinneys and the Conservancy concluded there is no viable long-term future for the house as a residence on its once secluded, wooded site in Minnesota.

The Lindholm House was deconstructed in April and May of 2016.  The concrete blocks, concrete floor slab and roof rafters were demolished, but the rest of the dwelling was packed into trailers.  The components then traveled over 1,000 miles to the home's new location in Pennsylvania. The home is protected under a preservation easement and will be monitored by the Conservancy.  Archival material and copies of original drawings will be stored at the house. 

The story of a FLW designed gas station led me to the story of this  beloved FLW designed home.  An amazing and "moving" story that I found such pleasure in writing for myself and for my followers on this blog.

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