On Saturday,
December 1, 1913, what is today the Gulf Oil Company opened the nation’s
first drive-in gas station. Located at the intersection of Baum Boulevard and
St. Clair Street in Pittsburgh, the filling station was a simple but pleasing
structure, with a cantilevered pagoda-style roof to shelter the pumps, cars and
station attendants. Supporting the roof was a storage room and a restroom for
staff only. Before this innovation, gasoline was dispensed from sometimes
awkwardly located pumps at such places as grocery and hardware stores, and even
some pharmacies.
In the ensuing 105 years, some of this earlier practice
has come full circle. Nationwide, there are around 111,000 gas stations today.
The vast majority — nearly 97,000 — are combined with convenience or food mart
stores.
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