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Architecture

Safety rest area buildings and structures display a diverse selection of forms and styles.  Variety is one of the most intriguing and dynamic traits of these sites; in some examples architectural elements project a visual presence that rival their functional use, while in others we are met with modest structures constructed of basic materials.  Regardless if the design is humble or exaggerated, it is apparent that all buildings and structures located in safety rest areas are the product of intentional design strategies. While the toilet building is often the central designed element of a site, other structures frequently exhibit significant architectural qualities which qualify them for inclusion into broad design trends that categorize form and style.  Toilet buildings and picnic shelters are considered the primary architectural elements of a safety rest area. 

The toilet building is the architectural center piece of a safety rest area and its design concept was commonly used as a visual theme throughout the site.  Other structures were designed to mimic the form and materials of this central building.  This was done to create a sense of cohesion and visual unity.  It also created a sense of place for travelers.  Locating them within their specific surroundings, that being the safety rest area itself, as well as locating them thematically within the state or region of the country.  The materials and design qualities often played on regional characteristics such as significant history or recognizable social trends of a state or region.

The second primary element of an SRA are the picnic shelters; often displaying an exaggerated expression of the central theme established in the toilet building.  They are commonly given to being creative and exaggerated manifestations of the architectural theme. Existing as both thematic and modern examples and in either expression, serve both a functional and conceptual purpose.  They generate visual interest and are used to enhance curiosity, to intrigue and captivate.  They are accessories that punctuate ones experience of theme and place.

For the purposes of identifying broad patterns in the forms and styles of primary rest area elements, the following categories have been identified: Basic Traditional, Modern, Regional, Rustic or Regional  Modern, Combined Forms, Free Form and 1970s Revival. 








Basic Traditional 

The buildings in this classification most closely express the link between roadside parks and Safety Rest Areas.  They were most commonly constructed in the late 1950s and early 1960s.  Their basic forms do not represent regional aesthetics or architectural design trends. These structures are defined by their functionality and do not attempt to generate interest through unique architectural design.

Identifying Features:
Wood construction is common; building form is commonly square or rectangular; roof forms are commonly hipped or gabled;
buildings and structures are modest in scale and low rising; structures do not adhere to a specific architectural style



Modern


Modern safety rest area buildings are those that most closely reflect the modern architectural aesthetic of the 1950s and 1960s.  Structures designed in this vein do not exhibit an identifiable influence of the cultural or natural history of their state; in contrast to basic traditional structures they reflect a high style design aesthetic.

Identifying Features:
Rooflines are among the most distinguishing features of modern SRA structures; look for flat, butterfly, calloped, or saw-tooth; commonly low rising horizontally oriented structures; basic in form and materials; common materials are brick, concrete block and poured concrete; decorative concrete screen block is often the primary decorative in both toilet buildings and other structures of this type; building forms are diverse but reflect a straightforward and often angular formalism. 


Regional

The use of regional characteristics in the design of safety rest area buildings and structures is one of the most prolific design concepts used during the mid-century period.  This aesthetic was commonly used in picnic shelters but can also be identified in toilet building deign.  Regional design is characterized by the use of programmatic imagery that reflects culturally historic or landscape characteristics of a particular region. 

Identifying Features:
Designs reflect culturally historic elements of the local region or state; regional design is often most dramaticlly expressed in picnic shelters, these shelters are often paired with modern or regional modern toilet building design; toilet buildings of regional design are almost always paired with picnic shelters of the same design theme; materials may reflect regionally traditional building materials; look for creative use of common materials, brick, wood, stone and metal are common.

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