Whether they’re monuments to modernism or temples of contemporary kitsch, there are gas stations scattered across the globe that prove how even a daily routine like refueling can become a journey within the journey.
Around the world, you’ll find service stations that look like they’ve stepped out of a sci-fi movie, a Futurist dream, a Hollywood set, or a theme park.
After some deep diving online, I’ve lined up ten of the most iconic and surprising gas stations our fellow humans have designed around the planet.
Built in 1958 for one of the architect’s longtime clients, Ray W. Lindholm, the station fits into Wright’s utopian vision of a decentralized and harmonious America.
Its design incorporates elements of the famous “Usonian architecture”: an overhanging copper roof, flowing horizontal lines, and the use of natural light.
One particularly fascinating detail is the waiting lounge for motorists, featuring floor-to-ceiling windows—an attempt to turn even an oil change into a moment of pleasure.
Today, the service station is a designated National Historic Site, still in operation and a pilgrimage spot for architecture lovers. 
Built in 1938 and designed by Italian architect Giuseppe Pettazzi, this service station was conceived as a tribute to Futurist dynamism.
The client wanted a building with practical canopies—but Pettazzi insisted it had to look like an airplane ready to lift off the ground.
Colonial authorities refused to authorize the use of self-supporting concrete wings, deeming them too dangerous.
But they hadn’t reckoned with Pettazzi’s unmatched stubbornness: he allegedly threatened to continue construction at gunpoint until he got the green light.
And well… he was right all along.
To this day, its 15-meter wings remain perfectly intact—with no side supports.
The Fiat Tagliero is one of the most visionary symbols of modernist Asmara, now a UNESCO World Heritage site. 
Opened in 2007 on Beverly Boulevard, Helios House is an experiment in sustainability and public art, designed by Office dA in collaboration with Johnston Marklee.
The structure is made up of over seven thousand recycled steel panels, arranged in an irregular polygonal surface that reflects sunlight.
Its roof features photovoltaic cladding and a rainwater collection system that supplies the station’s utilities and irrigates surrounding green spaces.
Marklee’s goal was to prove that even a highly polluting site like a gas station can evolve into something green—and become a symbol of progressive, forward-thinking L.A. 
The mushroom-shaped roof—with its circular canopy—was conceived to resemble a suspended leaf, a symbol of lightness and protection.
Still operational today, the station has been beautifully restored, preserving its original design. Its interior now hosts an ice cream shop, a favorite stop for those driving along the Øresund coast road.
This station likes to show off a little, often serving as a set for photoshoots and commercials—and Jacobsen himself considered it a small manifesto of his minimalist approach. 
it’s a full-blown celebration of American popular taste.
Opened in 2007, it quickly became a tourist attraction thanks to its gigantic 20-meter-tall soda bottle, lit up at night by more than 66,000 LEDs.
Inside, an incredible collection of over seven hundred types of soda from around the world is displayed on brightly colored shelves stretching from floor to ceiling.
The project was born in the studio of Rand Elliott Architects, who set out to transform a simple roadside stop into an icon of contemporary roadside design.
Every day, thousands of drivers pull in—not just for fuel, but for a multisensory experience made of flavors, lights, and retro highway nostalgia. 
And rightly so—if only for the spirit behind the idea.
Designed by the MEKA studio, the project blends landscape architecture and contemporary design into a harmonious whole, fully immersed in a bucolic Northern European setting of lakes and forests.
The wooden and glass building melts into the natural surroundings, offering travelers a traditional sauna, a panoramic restaurant, and relaxing areas with views over Lake Niemenharju.
In winter, the station becomes a cozy, heated oasis for those braving the snow-covered roads of Lapland.
More than just a refueling point, this place is an invitation to slow down—and to contemplate. 
It’s the last functioning Art Deco gas station in India’s financial capital.
Its geometric architecture, octagonal kiosk, and neon signs have remained unchanged for nearly a century.
Threatened with demolition several times, the station has been saved on each occasion thanks to a grassroots heritage preservation campaign, during which locals quite literally stood between the bulldozers and this magical place.
Today, the Karfule gas station is a point of pride for the Byculla neighborhood and is regularly photographed by architects, students, and tourists in search of the city’s hidden soul. 
The Tramway Gas Station was designed in 1965 by Albert Frey and Robson Chambers.
Its cantilevered triangular roof recalls the wings of a jet, suspended on pillars that seem to vanish into the desert horizon.
For many years, it was the last stop before boarding the aerial tramway to Mount San Jacinto, becoming a landmark for Palm Springs visitors.
After sitting abandoned for a long time, it was fully restored and transformed into the Palm Springs Visitor Center—a living tribute to modernist architecture.
The contrast between its futuristic geometry and the desert landscape makes it one of the most photogenic gas stations in the world. 
The teapot-shaped station was built in 1922 by Jack Ainsworth as a protest against the Teapot Dome Scandal—a corruption case that rocked the Harding administration.
In 1921, Interior Secretary Albert B. Fall, with President Harding’s approval, took control of oil reserves from the Navy and secretly awarded drilling rights—without public bidding—to two oil tycoons: Edward Doheny (for the reserves in California) and Harry F. Sinclair (for the Teapot Dome formation in Wyoming, near a federal reserve set aside as a strategic fuel source for the U.S. Navy).
In return, Fall received bribes and loans totaling over $400,000—an astronomical figure at the time.
Standing three meters tall, complete with a handle and spout, the station operated until the 1990s.
Today it’s a historic landmark, preserved by the Zillah community and often used as a stop for vintage events and classic car rallies.
Its whimsical shape is a reminder of a time when roadside architecture wasn’t just spectacle and marketing—but political commentary too. 
Completely surrounded by animal enclosures, it offers travelers the rare chance to observe white rhinos, ostriches, antelopes, and buffalo up close—while their tanks fill and they ponder lunch options.
This one-of-a-kind service station includes a shopping center, children’s play areas, and a restaurant with panoramic glass walls.
The project was born out of a desire to raise awareness about African wildlife and support environmental conservation efforts.
In a snap, a quick refuel turns into an educational safari—somewhere between topping up your compact car and tipping your hat to ecology. 
Around the world, you’ll find service stations that look like they’ve stepped out of a sci-fi movie, a Futurist dream, a Hollywood set, or a theme park.
After some deep diving online, I’ve lined up ten of the most iconic and surprising gas stations our fellow humans have designed around the planet.
1. R.W. Lindholm Service Station – Cloquet, Minnesota, USA
This is the only gas station ever designed by Frank Lloyd Wright—an architectural gem and a true manifesto of organic modernism.Built in 1958 for one of the architect’s longtime clients, Ray W. Lindholm, the station fits into Wright’s utopian vision of a decentralized and harmonious America.
Its design incorporates elements of the famous “Usonian architecture”: an overhanging copper roof, flowing horizontal lines, and the use of natural light.
One particularly fascinating detail is the waiting lounge for motorists, featuring floor-to-ceiling windows—an attempt to turn even an oil change into a moment of pleasure.
Today, the service station is a designated National Historic Site, still in operation and a pilgrimage spot for architecture lovers.
2. Fiat Tagliero – Asmara, Eritrea
This one’s a true engineering marvel.Built in 1938 and designed by Italian architect Giuseppe Pettazzi, this service station was conceived as a tribute to Futurist dynamism.
The client wanted a building with practical canopies—but Pettazzi insisted it had to look like an airplane ready to lift off the ground.
Colonial authorities refused to authorize the use of self-supporting concrete wings, deeming them too dangerous.
But they hadn’t reckoned with Pettazzi’s unmatched stubbornness: he allegedly threatened to continue construction at gunpoint until he got the green light.
And well… he was right all along.
To this day, its 15-meter wings remain perfectly intact—with no side supports.
The Fiat Tagliero is one of the most visionary symbols of modernist Asmara, now a UNESCO World Heritage site.
3. Helios House – Los Angeles, California, USA
This gas station looks like an urban sculpture.Opened in 2007 on Beverly Boulevard, Helios House is an experiment in sustainability and public art, designed by Office dA in collaboration with Johnston Marklee.
The structure is made up of over seven thousand recycled steel panels, arranged in an irregular polygonal surface that reflects sunlight.
Its roof features photovoltaic cladding and a rainwater collection system that supplies the station’s utilities and irrigates surrounding green spaces.
Marklee’s goal was to prove that even a highly polluting site like a gas station can evolve into something green—and become a symbol of progressive, forward-thinking L.A.
4. Skovshoved Petrol Station – Copenhagen, Denmark
Designed in 1936 by a young Arne Jacobsen, the Skovshoved Tankstation has become over time one of the masterpieces of Nordic functionalism.The mushroom-shaped roof—with its circular canopy—was conceived to resemble a suspended leaf, a symbol of lightness and protection.
Still operational today, the station has been beautifully restored, preserving its original design. Its interior now hosts an ice cream shop, a favorite stop for those driving along the Øresund coast road.
This station likes to show off a little, often serving as a set for photoshoots and commercials—and Jacobsen himself considered it a small manifesto of his minimalist approach.
5. Pops 66 – Arcadia, Oklahoma, USA
Located along the legendary Route 66, Pops 66 is much more than just a gas station—it’s a full-blown celebration of American popular taste.
Opened in 2007, it quickly became a tourist attraction thanks to its gigantic 20-meter-tall soda bottle, lit up at night by more than 66,000 LEDs.
Inside, an incredible collection of over seven hundred types of soda from around the world is displayed on brightly colored shelves stretching from floor to ceiling.
The project was born in the studio of Rand Elliott Architects, who set out to transform a simple roadside stop into an icon of contemporary roadside design.
Every day, thousands of drivers pull in—not just for fuel, but for a multisensory experience made of flavors, lights, and retro highway nostalgia.
6. Niemenharju Rest Area – Finland
This rest stop along the E75 in the Finnish region of Pihtipudas was named “the most beautiful gas station in the world” in 2017.And rightly so—if only for the spirit behind the idea.
Designed by the MEKA studio, the project blends landscape architecture and contemporary design into a harmonious whole, fully immersed in a bucolic Northern European setting of lakes and forests.
The wooden and glass building melts into the natural surroundings, offering travelers a traditional sauna, a panoramic restaurant, and relaxing areas with views over Lake Niemenharju.
In winter, the station becomes a cozy, heated oasis for those braving the snow-covered roads of Lapland.
More than just a refueling point, this place is an invitation to slow down—and to contemplate.
7. Karfule – Mumbai, India
In the sprawling chaos of Mumbai, a fragment of colonial modernity survives at Karfule station, built in 1938 by two entrepreneurial brothers.It’s the last functioning Art Deco gas station in India’s financial capital.
Its geometric architecture, octagonal kiosk, and neon signs have remained unchanged for nearly a century.
Threatened with demolition several times, the station has been saved on each occasion thanks to a grassroots heritage preservation campaign, during which locals quite literally stood between the bulldozers and this magical place.
Today, the Karfule gas station is a point of pride for the Byculla neighborhood and is regularly photographed by architects, students, and tourists in search of the city’s hidden soul.
8. Tramway Gas Station – Palm Springs, California, USA
This is one of the true icons of California’s “desert modernism.”The Tramway Gas Station was designed in 1965 by Albert Frey and Robson Chambers.
Its cantilevered triangular roof recalls the wings of a jet, suspended on pillars that seem to vanish into the desert horizon.
For many years, it was the last stop before boarding the aerial tramway to Mount San Jacinto, becoming a landmark for Palm Springs visitors.
After sitting abandoned for a long time, it was fully restored and transformed into the Palm Springs Visitor Center—a living tribute to modernist architecture.
The contrast between its futuristic geometry and the desert landscape makes it one of the most photogenic gas stations in the world.
9. Teapot Dome Service Station – Zillah, Washington, USA
This project is both an architectural and satirical tribute to a political scandal.The teapot-shaped station was built in 1922 by Jack Ainsworth as a protest against the Teapot Dome Scandal—a corruption case that rocked the Harding administration.
In 1921, Interior Secretary Albert B. Fall, with President Harding’s approval, took control of oil reserves from the Navy and secretly awarded drilling rights—without public bidding—to two oil tycoons: Edward Doheny (for the reserves in California) and Harry F. Sinclair (for the Teapot Dome formation in Wyoming, near a federal reserve set aside as a strategic fuel source for the U.S. Navy).
In return, Fall received bribes and loans totaling over $400,000—an astronomical figure at the time.
Standing three meters tall, complete with a handle and spout, the station operated until the 1990s.
Today it’s a historic landmark, preserved by the Zillah community and often used as a stop for vintage events and classic car rallies.
Its whimsical shape is a reminder of a time when roadside architecture wasn’t just spectacle and marketing—but political commentary too.
10. Alzu Petroport – Mpumalanga, South Africa
Along the N4 highway connecting Johannesburg to Kruger National Park, this station feels more like a wildlife center than a typical pit stop.Completely surrounded by animal enclosures, it offers travelers the rare chance to observe white rhinos, ostriches, antelopes, and buffalo up close—while their tanks fill and they ponder lunch options.
This one-of-a-kind service station includes a shopping center, children’s play areas, and a restaurant with panoramic glass walls.
The project was born out of a desire to raise awareness about African wildlife and support environmental conservation efforts.
In a snap, a quick refuel turns into an educational safari—somewhere between topping up your compact car and tipping your hat to ecology.
