House with Canopy Gas Station

Example of House with Canopy Gas Station Type

Double-canopy station, Denver.

The house with canopy became the most prevalent form of gas station in the 1910s and 1920s.  The small square or rectangular plan office building is topped by a hipped or front gable roof that extends over the automobile driveway.  The roof is supported by a single centered column, or more commonly, by a pair of corner posts.  The house, or office, may be brick, stucco or wood sided.  In some cases, the office and canopy may be flat-roofed with a parapet on all but the rear elevation.  In the case of corner stations, the building often sits diagonally on its lot fronting the street intersection.  Some corner gas stations have two canopies, extending in an L-plan over two intersecting driveways.

Example of House with Canopy Gas Station

An example of a house with canopy gas station in Dailey.

Common elements:

  1. small square or rectangular plan office
  2. office roof extends over automobile driveway
  3. roof supported by paired corner or single center post
  4. building fronts street or street intersection

<< Colorado's Historic Architecture & Engineering Guide