Environmental

The 1960s mark a rebellion against roadside architecture and the disregard of the automobile for the natural environment. The "futuristic" glass and steel boxes, encased in a glossy porcelain skin, glowing along the nighttime highway became gaudy reminders of the excesses of the previous decades. Gas companies revisited historical styles and the use of natural materials for their new gas stations. Wood, brick, and stone veneers replaced the glass, steel, and porcelain of the Modern era. Colonial Revival details, Mansard roofs, and Ranch house designs all helped the gas station assimilate with the surrounding landscape.

The image below illustrates a gas station designed to more appropriately blend with the surrounding landscape. Note the Mansard roof and rustic stone veneer. This is just one example of the many "historical" and "natural" designs produced in the 1960s.

Environmental Station: Image courtesy of John Jakle, Gas Station in America, 1994.