Skovshoved Petrol Station: Arne Jacobsen’s stark white modernist icon

At Skovshoved, you encounter “The Toadstool” – Arne Jacobsen’s distinctive petrol station. With its sharp lines and contrasting, rounded roof, it points toward the modernist design language that would later come to define his architecture.

The Functionalist Bellevue

Arne Jacobsen fully embraced functionalism when, throughout the 1930s, he left his mark on the Bellevue area north of Copenhagen. Here, he designed Bellevue Beach (1932), the Bellavista housing development (1934), Bellevue Theater (1936), and the petrol station from 1937.

The buildings are characterized by white facades, functional layouts, and simple geometric forms, standing as strong examples of Danish functionalism. At the same time, they reflect international influences from movements such as the Bauhaus school in Germany and the French architect Le Corbusier, who helped develop “the white style” in architecture.

Architecture in Harmony with Nature

In the early 1930s, people began flocking to Bellevue and the new beach park that emerged alongside the redevelopment of Strandvejen.

In 1932, Arne Jacobsen won the commission to design bathing facilities for the area, and several other buildings followed. The development reflects a time when there was a strong desire to bring nature closer to city dwellers. Here, Jacobsen brought together leisure, outdoor life, and architecture in a series of functionalist structures – including the beach facilities, a summer theater, housing, and this petrol station.

From 1934, Copenhagen residents could take the S-train to the beach, while those with cars, starting in 1937, could refuel at the petrol station just south of the beach park.

A Designer Beyond Compare

“The Toadstool,” as the petrol station is known due to its distinctive rounded roof, is a precise example of Arne Jacobsen’s work as a designer. The same rounded shape was later used as inspiration for his iconic chair, the Ant (1952), which features a backrest in a similar form.

The square main building with its sloped roof originally housed a car wash, office, and storage, while the prominent canopy shelters motorists at the pumps. In the evening, the canopy is illuminated by specially designed lamps, and its glossy underside reflects the light, making the roof appear as a single, unified light source.

The main building is clad in white-gray ceramic tiles arranged in a simple pattern. The petrol station was built for Texaco, and where their logo once appeared on the facade, there is now a simple clock, also designed by Jacobsen.

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Source: Arne Jacobsen Design Archives