View allAll Photos Tagged Googie
Found along Route 66 in El Reno, OK.
All that's left of the old Reno Motel is this fading googie sign.
The Chef Restaurant is on Route 26, a few miles east of Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Not sure how their food is, but their sign is awesome!
Located in El Monte, CA, this is a rare example of a drive-thru dairy dating from 1961, built by Theodore Masterson. Fabulous example of Googie architecture.
Wich Stand was a 1950s style coffee shop with a tilting blue roof and a 35-foot spire. It housed a cocktail lounge and featured carhop service. It was declared a landmark by Los Angeles County in 1989. The restaurant opened in 1957, fell upon hard times in the mid-1980s and declined and was vandalised, including a gutting of the floors and ceilings, after the restaurant closed in 1988. The Beach Boys lived in the area and wrote an unreleased song called "Wich Stand".
A surviving example of Googie architecture, a critic said its "plunging dart of a sign keeps it from spinning off into space."
It was refurbished and reopened as the Simply Wholesome Restaurant and health food store.
-Wikipedia
Porst Compact Reflex SP with the Vivitar 20mm f/3.8 wide-angle lens and graduated ND filter on cross-processed Kodak Elite Chrome slide film.
Actor Roddy McDowall’s ape mask from the original “Planet of the Apes” film franchise is on display at the Valley Relics Museum at the Van Nuys Airport in Van Nuys, California, on Jan. 25, 2020. The museum houses a collection of San Fernando Valley artifacts, including neon signs from the Googie era of Southern California architecture and movie props from the early days of Hollywood.
So the story is that I dug this sign out of the dumpster and saved all of its letters, for better or worse. The plastic fronts had some damage and one of the neon tubes was broken, but at least their beautiful Googieness was safe and not in a rubbish heap.
They've since been in storage for years and years and only now have I brought out their seven and half feet of lettering in order to relight it. Why the itch to restore, you may ask? The Museum of Neon Art is preparing a new exhibit based on the art of text and type and I want this sign to be in it.
Long story short, I made an appointment with a new sign shop that MONA started using but after one look at these channel letters, they said no and sent me to another shop. That guy was afraid of the fragile nature of the piece but agreed to make a can. After designing something to support the letters, I took the letters back to MONA where we flipped them over and saw the former support for the sign was completely different from what I ordered. So, I canceled the order and decided to start again.
With this photo (flipped horizontally for legibility by the way), I hope to draw out a proper support before going back to another sign shop.
Hopefully in the next couple months, I'll post its progress through to the finished product.
Wish me luck!
Someone dumped this vintage Howell chrome table on the sidewalk with a "FOR FREE" sign a couple blocks from my house. You gotta move fast in my neighborhood. As it was too heavy to carry home, had to borrow my neighbor and his truck. I just loved the pattern.
This is the only roto-sphere left in the area. It still lights up at night.
Main Street at Bartow Road, Lakeland.
Almost identical to the Southway Plaza shopping center sign in Titusville Florida, (http://flickr.com/photos/retrojason/2337356137/in/set-72157604215600157/)
What, was there a catalog for these googie sign motifs? "I'll take a Plaza Bow-Tie 43b, please."
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.
Pann's Restaurant & Coffee Shop, located at 6710 Tijera Boulevard in Westchester, was opened in 1958 by George and Rena Panagopulos. Designed by Eldon Davis and Helen Liu Fong of Armét & Davis, the iconic building is one LA's best preserved examples of midcentury Googie architecture, featuring iconic neon signage, an angular roofline, and terrazzo floors, and neon signage. Pann’s, still family-owned (currently run by Jim Poulos), became a neighborhood institution and a touchstone for travelers thanks to its location near LAX. The menu features diner staples with Southern influences — most famously fried chicken, waffles, burgers, and hearty breakfasts. Its pop-culture status was cemented in films like Next, Bewitched and XXX: State of the Union (but contrary to popular belief, not Pulp Fiction).
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.
Norm's Restaurant, 1957
470 N La Cienega Blvd
Armet and Davis
__________
An icon in Los Angeles, Norm's has been serving up delicious, cheep meals for a half century. But that's not the only reason for making the pilgrimage -- the fabulous architecture is the other. The geometric shapes and colors of the building make it an eye catcher. Even on a dreary day, the building just makes breakfast more fun.
This is Googie Architecture at it's finest. Designed by the architecture team of Armet and Davis, the low broad eves and peaked glass windows contrast with the towering neon sign for a space-age masterpiece that Goerge Jettson would have been proud to eat at. Unfortunately, the inside has suffered the effects of time and remodling. The original stainless steel clock still hides behind the cashier, but light fixtures, booths, and chairs have been ungraciously updated, probably in the 1970's. An old 1970's era wood sign still points to way to the non-smoking section, although smoking in California restaruants has been outlawed for close to 20 years.
Why this building isn't designated a local historic landmark by the City of West Hollywood, or placed on the National Register of Historic Places, I can't imagine. It's well deserving of such status. It would be a shame to loose it.
Wikipedia (Norms Restaurants) - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norms_Restaurants
Wikipedia (Armet and Davis) - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armet_&_Davis
Wikipedia (Googie Architecture) - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Googie_architecture
Film transparency of a daytime view of the entrance, neon sign, and porte-cochère of the Sahara.
Digital Publisher
University of Nevada, Las Vegas Libraries
Access and Ordering Information
Contact UNLV Digital Collections and provide digital ID number below
Digital Collection Name
Dreaming the Skyline: Resort Architecture and the New Urban Space
See this item at UNLV's Digital Collections
Digital ID sky000591
Scenes from the Westlake District of Daly City, California. One of America's first master-planned postwar suburbs, Westlake was the "inspiration" for Malvina Reynolds' song "Little Boxes," which became a hit for folkie Pete Seeger in 1964.
Read more about Westlake at the blog: "America's Most Perfect Ticky-Tacky Suburb."
At the Los Angeles Airport, there is a funky looking building that looks like a flying saucer that has landed on its four legs. It has a great restaurant with awesome views of all the planes coming and going. This shot was taken with my cell phone from the street level looking up.
Here is a cropped version of a photo I uploaded a few weeks ago.
It's based on this photo www.flickr.com/photos/brewbooks/225876606/in/set-72157594...
and excellent comments by Scrambler27 www.flickr.com/photos/scrambler27/
Theme Building
The Theme Building is a landmark structure at Los Angeles International Airport within the Westchester neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles. It opened in 1961, and is an example of the Mid-Century modern influenced design school known as "Googie" or "Populuxe."
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theme_Building
www.wikimapia.org/#lat=33.9440141&lon=-118.4031075&am...
082506 010z
This Googie-style car wash had been abandoned and empty when my family arrived in Fort Myers twenty years ago.
I was very happy to see it renovated and back in business as a car wash maybe ten years ago.
And now it has reverted.
Fort Myers has many architectural gems which look like they were originally built during the 1960's.
Fort Myers, Florida.
Monday, December 24, 2012.
Christmas Eve Day.
In the continuing saga of my Zodiac Room sign, I'm am grateful to say the story is over and the piece has been restored.
Long story short, I dug the channel letters, their neon tubes and the plastic faces out of a dumpster years ago. The new owners of the restaurant space didn't care for them and tossed them out just at the moment I was driving by. The timing was right and they were mine.
Years later, the Museum of Neon Art (MONA) puts together a show based on the design of words in signage and artwork. This Googie piece would be perfect for the show and became my kick in the pants to geterdone. Months of searching for the right can company and getting one piece screwed up after another, getting the broken C repaired, and getting it wired, transformers bought and etc... well thankfully it's lit!
With a lot of help and guidance from MONA and its crew, I'm so very gratefully that it's working again. I've yet to do it, but I'm going to write a nice thank you check to them for their help.
Once I get a photo of the lit Zodiac Room, I'll definitely post it here. In the meantime, go to MONA and check it out in person!
Scenes from the Westlake District of Daly City, California. One of America's first master-planned postwar suburbs, Westlake was the "inspiration" for Malvina Reynolds' song "Little Boxes," which became a hit for folkie Pete Seeger in 1964.
Read more about Westlake at the blog: "America's Most Perfect Ticky-Tacky Suburb."
The food is probably better now.
I thought it was a former Denny's, but family members who've lived in this area for years swear it was something else originally (possibly featuring a cocktail lounge). Any ideas? Along Route 66 in Fontana, CA
Scenes from the Westlake District of Daly City, California. One of America's first master-planned postwar suburbs, Westlake was the "inspiration" for Malvina Reynolds' song "Little Boxes," which became a hit for folkie Pete Seeger in 1964.
Read more about Westlake at the blog: "America's Most Perfect Ticky-Tacky Suburb."
Scenes from the Westlake District of Daly City, California. One of America's first master-planned postwar suburbs, Westlake was the "inspiration" for Malvina Reynolds' song "Little Boxes," which became a hit for folkie Pete Seeger in 1964.
Read more about Westlake at the blog: "America's Most Perfect Ticky-Tacky Suburb."
Scenes from the Westlake District of Daly City, California. One of America's first master-planned postwar suburbs, Westlake was the "inspiration" for Malvina Reynolds' song "Little Boxes," which became a hit for folkie Pete Seeger in 1964.
Read more about Westlake at the blog: "America's Most Perfect Ticky-Tacky Suburb."