No other type of infrastructure was more influenced by the influx of automobiles than the gas station (also called the service station). Prior to 1910, there was little need for gas stations because ownership of cars was limited to rich hobbyists. During that time, the motorist was required to visit the local kerosene refinery found in the outskirts of the city in order to get some gasoline.

When Henry Ford perfected the mass production of cars and lowered its prices in 1908, more people started owning cars. The local hardware store or carriage maker then added gas pumps to their busy central locations in the city. This arrangement did not prove beneficial, because when cars lined up to refuel, they ended up blocking major thoroughfares.

The first gasoline station building was created to serve Kentucky