View allAll Photos Tagged Googie
Closer view of the most Googie elements. Googie style sign on the main Boeing hanger in Long Beach. The sign predates Boeing and originated with McDonald/Douglas. Boeing merged with MD several years ago and incorporated elements of this classic Googie in their new logo.
This was the main branch of Commercial Federal Savings & Loan for years, until the city grew westward. Comm Fed followed that growth and built a new business parks in the middle of it. Bank of the West bought the institution sometime in the early 2000’s or so. It’s been vacant for nearly a decade, if not more.
Nothing like a faded old sign beside a lonely desert highway.
Above is my half-assed attempt at a Mojave sunset.
Cruise night at Johnie's (now Big Boy) Broiler, a Googie coffee shop and drive-in restaurant in Downey. Built in 1958, demolished 2007, rebuilt 2009. 7447 Firestone Boulevard, Downey California.
From BobsBigBoyBroiler.com:
Downey's former Harvey's/Johnie's Broiler has made a major comeback from an utterly illegal Sunday afternoon demolition in 2007. Now a Bob's Big Boy, the restaurant has won the LA Conservancy's President's Award for preservation.
Porst Compact Reflex SP (Cosina CSM) on Kentmere 100 35mm film.
A really cool googie sign along route 66 in La Verne is for the La Paloma restaurant established in 1966, this family owned eatery has been sligin large portions of Mexican food and Margaritas for their legions of happy patrons now for quite a few years
Cruise night at Johnie's (now Big Boy) Broiler, a Googie coffee shop and drive-in restaurant in Downey. Built in 1958, illegally demolished 2007, rebuilt 2009. 7447 Firestone Boulevard, Downey California.
From BobsBigBoyBroiler.com:
Downey's former Harvey's/Johnie's Broiler has made a major comeback from an utterly illegal Sunday afternoon demolition in 2007. Now a Bob's Big Boy, the restaurant has won the LA Conservancy's President's Award for preservation.
Porst Compact Reflex SP 1970's SLR on Kodak T-Max 3200 35mm film.
In the car on the way from Madrid when i first heard this insane cd, this track always had us dancing in our seats.
its definitely a different sound, not at all like the rest of the cd, very african or carribean, i first heard this on Keb Darges Keb Darge's Legendary Deep Funk Vol.2 but he has it down as "Firebird"
If he says its that then maybe it is...i wont argue with that good man..
From the good People at www.rockabilly.nl/
GOOGIE RENE
Born Rafael Leon Rene, 30 March 1927, Los Angeles, California
Died 25 November 2007
Googie Rene is one of those unjustly overlooked musical figures from the rock 'n' roll years. Although he was the backbone of Class Records, Rene has remained something of an "underground" figure amongst the collector fraternity until the recent release of the "Wham Bam" CD on Ace. He is the son of label owner/songwriter Leon Rene (1902-1982) and was called "Googie" because that was the first word he ever uttered as an infant. By the time Googie graduated from Dorsey High School in the Los Angeles suburb of Baldwin Hills, he was showing all the signs of following in his father's footsteps. He studied piano, composed songs and gained some firsthand studio experience when Leon Rene invited him along to record dates. But before Googie could get more involved, he had to serve in the US Army/Air Force in Europe. Upon his return in 1950, he found that his father's label, Exclusive Records, had gone bankrupt, but, undaunted, Leon Rene started to prepare a new imprint entitled Class Records.
Googie became primarily responsible for overseeing the new label, which released its first single at the end of 1951, in the short-lived 500 series. However, after the recent upheavals, Leon and Googie, chose to make a quiet start and struck an arrangement with the Bihari Brothers to release the Class product on Modern and RPM. It was not until September 1956 that Class really got off the ground, with a new 200 series. The second release (Class 201) in that series was "Sad Fool" by the Rollettes (a.k.a as the Dreamers : Gloria Jones, Annette Williams and Fanita Barrett), coupled with "Wham Bam" by the Googie Rene Combo. This rocking instrumental was the start of a long line of singles (in excess of 20 of them, over an 11-year period) by the Combo, which usually contained the cream of the West Coast session men. The cast includes Plas Johnson and Clifford Scott on saxophone, Earl Palmer on drums and Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Jimmy Nolen and Rene Hall on guitar. The instrumentals run the gamut from 50s rock'n'roll, boogie woogie, jump, latin, to 60s soul-jazz. On some tracks, Googie stands out front on piano, then organ later on, while letting his cohorts take the lead on many others.
Googie was given creative control at Class, which enabled him to develop his own songwriting, arranging, keyboard playing, and production techniques. As can be clearly seen from the progression of sides presented on the "Wham Bam" CD, from the smooth 1956 West Coast jump of Wham Bam to the groovy 1966 Ramsey Lewis stylings, Googie had the latest chart hits and current trends always in mind when he went into the studio. The influences and inspirations are many and varied.
>From a rock & roll point of view, the most interesting releases are those from the 1956-1959 period, especially "Wiggle Tail, Parts 1 & 2" (Class 221, my personal favourite, shame on UK Decca for not releasing it on London American*)," "Big Time"/"Midnight" (Class 205), "Break It Up"/"Side-Track" (Class 208) and "Rock-A Boogie"/"Beautiful Weekend" (Class 212).
It was probably due to the usual marketing/promotion glitches in a less-than-national operation that Googie had only three minor hits : "The Slide, Part 1" (# 20 R&B, early 1961), "Flapjacks, Part 1" (# 25 R&B, 1963) and "Smokey Joe's Lala" (# 77 pop, # 35 R&B, 1966). But as it was a family business, Class didn't turf Googie out when he failed to hit paydirt - he just kept on pushing out the singles plus three LPs. If airplay had been there, it's highly likely he would have had hits during the early years when instrumentals were a staple part of the Top 100 charts, for the recordings were right on the money tune-wise and musicianship-wise.
CD: Wham Bam : The Best of the Googie Rene Combo (Ace 987). Released in 2003, 26 tracks. This is the first Googie Rene reissue, on LP or CD. Liner notes by Stuart Colman. Recommended to those who like Ernie Fields (on Rendezvous) and Ernie Freeman (combos made up of mainly the same musicians).
* The only Googie Rene release in the UK before "Smokey Joe's Lala" was "Ez-zee"/ "Forever" (the Little Dippers hit), on London HLY 9056 in 1960. One of Googie's least interesting singles.
UPDATE: Bought from the same good people in Portland Oregan who sold me the Maxine Brown 45 www.recordsbymail.com
only $15.
getting there.
In 2012, the owners of a nearby home furnishings business bought the Penguin Arms property, which had been vacant (and endangered) for quite some time; they plan to expand their business into the building.
I drove past the building this morning and stopped to take a couple of updated photos. (Also, fiddling a bit more with taking photos via the Hipstamatic app on my iPhone.)
More about the building:
swamplot.com/penguin-arms-houstons-only-googie-apartment-...
www.chron.com/entertainment/article/Gray-Anything-goes-ar...
My favorite rest area structures:-) Located along I-5 near Weed, California. The rest areas were closed this trip however.
A fantastic atomic age era sign for Mr. Big Grinders. Advertising for Bevilite reader board letters.
There are lots of great car washes in LA but I reckon this is one of the best. That said they need to trim the trees and bushes so you can appreciate the full effect of the architecture!
225 E Carson St, Carson, CA 90745.
The M Star Motel in Red Bluff, recently was turned into an America's Best Value Inn, but it still looks fabulous.
210 South Main Street
Red Bluff, CA
Googie architecture was a hit in the 1950s and 1960s; these sputniks dotted the landscape around the country, though very few exist in working order today. A landmark in Wyandotte was this sputnik at Heltee Pantree, corner of Fort Street and Baumey. Taken down due to safety concerns by 1990; the business still exists today. (Drawing by Martine Macdonald, courtesy Frank James English)
Built between 1959 and 1962, this Modern Futurist and Googie building was designed by Eero Saarinen and Associates for Trans World Airlines to serve as a Flight Center, or Terminal headhouse, for their passenger services at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. The building is an example of thin shell construction, with a parabolic and curved sculptural concrete roof and concrete columns, with many surfaces of the building's structure and exterior being tapered or curved. The building also appears to take inspiration from natural forms, with the roofs appearing like the wings of a bird or bat taking flight. The building served as a passenger terminal from 1962 until 2001, when it was closed.
The building's exterior is dominated by a thin shell concrete roof with parabolic curves, which is divided by ribs into four segments, with the larger, symmetrical north and south segments tapering towards the tallest points of the exterior walls, and soar over angled glass curtain walls underneath. At the ends of the four ribs are Y-shaped concrete columns that curve outwards towards the top and bottom, distributing the weight of the roof structure directly to the foundation. The east and west segments of the roof are smaller, with the west roof angling downwards and forming a canopy over the front entrance with a funnel-shaped sculptural concrete scupper that empties rainwater into a low grate over a drain on the west side of the driveway in front of the building, and the east roof angling slightly upwards, originally providing sweeping views of the tarmac and airfield beyond. The exterior walls of the building beneath the sculptural roof consist of glass curtain walls, with the western exterior wall sitting to the east of the columns and the eastern exterior wall being partially comprised of the eastern columns, with the curtain wall located in the openings between the columns. To the east and west of the taller central section are two half crescent-shaped wings with low-slope roofs, with a curved wall, integrated concrete canopy, tall walls at the ends, and regularly-spaced door openings. To the rear, two concrete tubes with elliptical profiles formerly linked the headhouse to the original concourses, and today link the historic building to the new Terminal 5 and Hotel Towers.
Inside, the building features a great hall with a central mezzanine, and features curved concrete walls and columns, complex staircases, aluminum railings, ticket counters in the two halls to either side of the front entrance, a clock at the center of the ceiling, and skylights below the ribs of the roof. The space features penny tile floors, concrete walls and built-in furniture, red carpeting, and opalescent glass signage. On the west side of the great hall, near the entrance, is a curved concrete counter in front of a large signboard housed in a sculptural concrete and metal shell that once displayed departing and arriving flights. On the north and south sides of this space are former ticket counters and baggage drops, which sit below a vaulted ceiling, with linear light fixtures suspended between curved sculptural concrete piers that terminate some ways below the ceiling. To the east of the entrance is a staircase with minimalist aluminum railings, beyond which is a cantilevered concrete bridge, with balconies and spaces with low ceilings to either side, off which are several shops, restrooms, and telephone booths. On the east side of the bridge is a large sunken lounge with red carpet and concrete benches with red upholstered cushions, surrounded by low concrete walls that feature red-cushioned benches on either side, sitting below a metal analog signboard mounted to the inside of the curtain wall. To the north and south of the lounge are the entrances to the concrete tubes that once provided access to the concourses, which are elliptical in shape, with red carpeted floors and white walls and a white ceiling. On the mezzanine are several former lounges and a restaurant, which feature historic mid-20th Century finishes and fixtures.
The complex includes two contemporary hotel towers, the Saarinen and Hughes wings, which were designed carefully to harmonize with the original building and match its character. The two wings feature concrete end walls, curved Miesian glass curtain walls, and interiors with red carpeting, wooden paneling, brass fittings and fixtures, and white walls and ceilings. The only substantial modification to the structure's significant interior spaces was the puncturing of the two concrete tubes to provide access to these towers. The former terminal also features several service areas that were not previously open to visitors, which today house a massive fitness center, a cavernous underground conference center, and various meeting rooms and ballrooms, with all of these spaces, except the fitness center, being redesigned to match the mid-20th Century modern aesthetics of the rest of the building, with new fixtures, furnishings, and finishes that are inspired directly by the time period in which the building was built, and are nearly seamless in appearance with the rest of the building.
The fantastic building was designated a New York City Landmark in 1994, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. Between 2005 and 2008, the new Terminal 5, occupied by JetBlue, was built, which wraps the structure to the east, and was designed by Gensler, and was carefully placed so as to avoid altering or damaging the character-defining features of the historic terminal. Between 2016 and 2019, the building was rehabilitated in an adaptive reuse project that converted it into the TWA Hotel, which was carried out under the direction of Beyer Blinder Belle, Lubrano Ciavarra Architects, Stonehill Taylor, INC Architecture and Design, as well as the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and MCR/Morse Development. The hotel features 512 guest rooms, large event spaces, a rooftop pool at the top of the Hughes Wing, a large basement fitness center, and a Lockheed Constellation L-1649A "Connie" on a paved courtyard to the east of the building, which houses a cocktail lounge. The hotel is heavily themed around the 1960s, and was very carefully designed to preserve the character of this iconic landmark.
Bob's Big Boy in Burbank, California (1949) is the oldest remaining Big Boy restaurant in America. It incorporates elements of ‘40s Streamline Moderne style and the more free-form "Googie" style of the 1950s.
This view looks west along the Mother Road, historic Route 66, from the center of Seligman in northern Arizona. In the glory days of Route 66, this was a vibrant community and crucial way-stop for hungry and tired travelers. In the Interstate era that bypassed Route 66, most of these small Arizona locales became all but ghost towns, but Seligman managed to reinvent itself and remain populous for tourism and the preservation of Route 66 culture. The Copper Cart is one of the long standing Seligman establishments, its namesake honoring an ore cart from Arizona’s iconic copper mines. It has the same Googie-Populuxe style neon sign that it has had for many years. The Wild West typeface and the copper cart and Mexican food, combined with 1950’s rocket age Googie styling is the quintessential statement of Arizona Route 66 spirit. Beyond that can be seen another Route 66 iconic Googie neon sign, for the Supai Motel. The companion image is a closeup of the Route 66 siesta mural atop the Copper Cart building.
copper cart _ seligman, arizona _ (© 2012 megart)
Companion files:
copper cart _ seligman, arizona _ (© 2012 megart)
siesta mural _ seligman, arizona _ (© 2012 megart)
COMING SOON!!!
The first ever tour of mid-century modern architecture and design in San Jose, CA.
SATURDAY OCTOBER 9, 2010
For more information, please email
rsvp@docomomo-noca.org
This Modern Movement structure features the Googie architecture style and stands at 220 South 3rd Street. Built in 1959-60, it was designed by Thomas M. Rogers. The unique edifice was one of the first structures in Enid built to sell packaged alcohol after prohibition ended in Oklahoma. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.
Enid is home to almost 50,000 people. It is the county seat of Garfield County, and it is the largest city in northwestern Oklahoma.
Built in 1966-1967, this Googie-style building was built to house Wolfy’s Restaurant, which specializes in hot dogs. The building is clad in red and white brick with an asymmetrical roofline clad in red shingles, large front-facing windows, and large signs, including a distinctive sign in front of the building along the street that depicts a sausage being pierced by a carving fork, with cantilevered trapezoidal panels below that announce the restaurant’s name in stylized neon lettering and the source of the restaurant’s food products. The restaurant has been a mainstay of the West Ridge neighborhood since its opening, and has one of the few remaining large freestanding neon signs in the city of Chicago.
Nottingham's new modern art gallery after dark. The googie sign adds a nice touch of kitsch . I've been three times now since it opened on Saturday and had a good look around. The Hockney exhibition is definitely worth a look. A variety of work all from the 1960s; the earlier pieces are abstract impressionist work that remind me of German artists like George Grosz, then after he moved to California in 1963, he produced radically different stuff, full of colour and light, such as A Bigger Splash which really made his name. There's also his Rake's Progress, autobiographical and based on Hogarth. The other featured artist, Frances Stark isn't in the same league.
The place as a whole is worth the long wait and they've done a very good job of the bar/cafe in the basement.
CBE, AO (12 March 1917 – 15 July 2011 was an English theatre, film and television actress. She was a longtime resident of Australia with her husband, the actor John McCallum, with whom she often appeared. She was a well-known actress during the war and post-war years.
Inside the abandoned Googie cafe off of Interstate 15 in Yermo, California. In it's last incarnation, this structure was a Thai restaurant.
Night, full moon, 90 second exposure, sodium vapor lights, LED flashlight.
Reprocessed and replaced, April 2023.
space age architecture, after launching the sputnik in ca. the 50s, we were convinced to become the masters of the universe, and so we see in universe symbols (stars, planets, etc) in architecture
Mid 20th Century Googie Style in Saint Joseph, Missouri USA ~ Copyright ©2012 Bob Travaglione ~ www.JoeTown.Us ~ www.FoToEdge.com