The English Cottage style gas station was designed by C. A. Petersen in 1925 in response to his findings that “many people in discriminating residential neighborhoods objected to a service station nearby”. It gave Petersen the idea of designing a cottage type of station that would blend into and harmonize with a residential neighborhood. His design also met the needs of early gasoline companies who were trying to expand and hold their markets by developing uniform styles that would be easily recognized by passing motorists. The English Cottage station served Pure Oil well until it was abandoned in the 1950s. According to Petersen, this resulted in Pure Oil dropping from being number one to near the bottom of the pile.