Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Borneo orangutan
Malaysia • 12 days, 11 nights
Wild Borneo: Secrets of an Ancient Rainforest
from
Pastel de nata
Portugal • 8 days, 7 nights
Portugal: A Culinary Adventure from Porto to Lisbon
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The Phono Museum features decades of different sound technology.
Phono Museum Paris
“Sleeping Figure” stretches 150 feet end to end.
‘Sleeping Figure’
The Barnard’s Inn building, home to Gresham College.
Gresham College
The Hell’s Gate Airtram gondola and footbridge.
Hell’s Gate, British Columbia
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Ivan the Terra Bus
The Bus, the Myth, the Legend: Ivan the Terra Bus
Pigeons were included in a series of 1891 illustrations entitled “Household Pets.”
What Makes a Pest a Pest?
Burros Alfa and Beto, seen here with Luis Soriano in 2008, have been helping the teacher deliver books for more than 20 years.
How One Man and His ‘Biblioburro’ Spreads Literacy in Rural Colombia
Price Tower
What Happened to Price Tower, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Only Skyscraper?

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States California Los Angeles Helios House

Helios House

First LEED-certified gas station in the United States.

Los Angeles, California

Added By
anhie
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Helios House   Detlef Schobert / CC BY-ND 2.0
Fascinating design!   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Pulling up to the pumps   Avoiding Regret
Now a Speedway   Avoiding Regret
Around the back way   Avoiding Regret
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

"Eco-friendly" is probably one of the last adjectives one would use to describe a gas station, but the BP gas company has taken on its first green gas station initiative with the Helios House.

Located in Los Angeles, California, on the busy intersection of Robertson and Olympic, the futuristic-looking Helios House is an environmentally friendly gas station that incorporates green themes into its design and operating structure.

Simply advertised as a "little greener" than the average pump station, the Helios House features a LEED-certified gas pump, ninety solar panels, and attendants who dish out tips on sustainability instead of pumping gas.

The building features a geometric stainless steel design that was partially constructed using salvaged materials from the former gas station on site. The pavement consists of concrete mixed with recycled glass, which reduces the amount of heat absorption throughout the day. The public restroom also features tiles made from recycled glass, as well as a digital jukebox that allows occupants to create a music playlist while inside.

The Helios House is an experimental project designed to inform and encourage people on the balance between using energy and exercising social responsibility. To that end, patrons are free to pick up a "postcard you can plant," which contains seeds embedded into the paper fibers.

Related Tags

Gas Station Shops Architectural Oddities Architecture

Community Contributors

Added By

anhie

Edited By

Avoiding Regret, Michelle Cassidy, blimpcaptain

  • Avoiding Regret
  • Michelle Cassidy
  • blimpcaptain

Published

February 1, 2010

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://thegreencurve.com
  • http://www.losanjealous.com/2007/11/29/helios-house-gas-station-of-the-future/
Helios House
8770 W. Olympic
Los Angeles, California, 90035
United States
34.059099, -118.383282
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Cardiff Tower

Los Angeles, California

miles away

John Wayne Statue

Beverly Hills, California

miles away

'Celluloid' Monument

Beverly Hills, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Los Angeles

Los Angeles

California

Places 237
Stories 62

Nearby Places

Cardiff Tower

Los Angeles, California

miles away

John Wayne Statue

Beverly Hills, California

miles away

'Celluloid' Monument

Beverly Hills, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Los Angeles

Los Angeles

California

Places 237
Stories 62

Related Stories and Lists

America's Grandest Gas Stations

List

By Jonathan Carey

Related Places

  • Garden Santa Fe.

    Mexico City, Mexico

    Garden Santa Fe

    The underground mall's skylights look like they could be part of a spaceship.

  • Sewoon Sangga’s northern facade, which was recently redesigned.

    Seoul, South Korea

    Sewoon Sangga (Sewoon Plaza)

    Its humdrum facade only adds to its electrifying appeal: a rooftop with panoramic views of a shapeshifting metropolis.

  • The Arctic Circle Centre.

    Storforshei, Norway

    Arctic Circle Centre

    This roadside attraction looks like a flying saucer parked atop the tundra.

  • The High Bridge and Glory Hole.

    Lincoln, England

    High Bridge

    The oldest of the three remaining bridges in England with buildings on top of them.

  • Barter Books.

    Alnwick, England

    Barter Books

    This enormous secondhand bookstore inside a Victorian train station sparked the "Keep Calm and Carry On" craze.

  • Earlier days in use as a resteraunt.

    Nottinghamshire, England

    1960s Hyperbolic Paraboloid Gas Station Canopy

    One of the earliest large-scale "hyper" roofs in the U.K. is now a derelict roadside attraction.

  • The poshest Tesco.

    Belfast, Northern Ireland

    2 Royal Avenue

    A palatial former bank building now houses what may be the poshest art venue (and former Tesco) in Belfast.

  • Amazon Spheres from Doppler.

    Seattle, Washington

    Amazon Spheres

    The tech giant built three enormous glass orbs in Seattle so employees could work inside a rainforest greenhouse.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.