View allAll Photos Tagged Googie
This fantastic googie gas station in McLean, Texas, sits rotting away on a lonely median between the east- and west-bound lanes of old Route 66. It's so great with that butterfly roof and all kinds of funky, modern angles, but I have no idea what company this originally belonged to or the architect behind this elegantly modern design. Any ideas?
Bob's Big Boy Grand Opening
Oct. 19, 2009
Downey, California
This building is a great example of the “Googie style” coffee shops and drive-in restaurants that once dotted the southern California landscape. Googie Architecture called for buildings to read as signs to attract customers. Built in 1958 by owner Harvey Ortner, “Harvey’s Broiler” exhbtited many of the design features of Googie Architecture, including exaggerated roofs, dazzling signs, bright lighting, and glass walls. In 1966 Christos Smyrniotis, a former cook at the restaurant, purchased the restaurant and operated it under the name “Johnie’s Broiler” until it closed in February 2002.
The building was operated as a used car dealership from 2002 until 2007 when it suffered extensive damage when the tenant illegally demolished a large portion of the building. However, the City of Downey and Bob’s Big Boy, with support from concerned citizens and the Los Angeles Conservancy, devised a plan to conserve and rebuild Johnie’s Broiler. On August 12, 2008, the Downey City Council voted to provide financial assistance to resurrect this historical landmark under the name Bob’s Big Boy, another Southern California icon.
Bob’s Big Boy will continue the legacy of this great American coffee shop and drive-in restaurant for all to enjoy.
Owner: Jim Louder, Bob’s Big Boy
Architect: Paul B. Clayton
Reconstruction architect: Archeion
City of Downey
DN. Mario A. Guerra, Mayor
Anne M. Bayer, Mayor Pro Tem
David R. Gafin, Councilmember
Gerald M. Caton, City Manager
Filbert A. Livas, Deputy City Manager
Roger C. Brossmer, Councilmeber
Luis H. Marquez, Councilmember
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 1970's SLR on Kodak T-Max 3200 35mm film.
This charming little 11-unit apartment building is located at 230 East San Salvador in Downtown San Jose. The original building permit was initiated in December 1959 and construction commenced shortly thereafter. Architect unknown. Love the dingbat!
This place had a Googie starburst out in front. It looks like the spikes have neon, but unfortunately we were there at the wrong time of day to find out.
Morgan Heights, between Devils Elbow and St Robert, Missouri
20090923_0029a1_800x600
A great googie style diner restaurant that was built in 1960 and designed by famed architects Armet & Davis, still in business and open 24hr's for you late night party animals
A must-see when visiting Sacramento, state capitol of California. The whole shopping complex is brilliant, but this is its crown jewel. For those of you who are interested, there are a lot of Eichler houses just a couple blocks away.
Tulsa, OK
I don't know what the original restaurant was that this sign advertised, but it looks like Nelson's Ranch House is long gone, too.
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).
British actress Googie Withers, best known for her starring role in Alfred Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes (1938), also worked with director Pat Jackson on White Corridors (1951).
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."
This wonderful sign greets travelers heading south on US 98. It has survived every hurricane that's hit Pensacola (and Pensacola is no stranger to hurricanes), but it was heavily damaged during Hurricane Ivan in 2004. Luckily, the sign was repaired. The only major change was the neon being replaced by LED bulbs.
Pensacola Beach didn't open for development until 1947, due to the US Government controlling the land. Even today, residents of Pensacola Beach don't own their land, but exist as long-term renters.
As you can imagine, there is still quite a bit of anger and hatred towards BP.
US 98, Gulf Breeze.
A detail shot of the copper embossing plate I made in the 1980s to stamp the Naugahyde Co.'s vinyl pattern named "Contemporary" onto leather.
Dims: 9" x 11 1/2".
Click above on ALL SIZES.
All rights reserved © 2009 Jim Thompson
Googie style facade and doors on an otherwise boxy building. Note the use of plate glass on the sides.
Formerly Harvey's Broiler, this classic Googie style restaurant was central to the 1950's Southern California car culture. It was recently restored by Bob's Big Boy and returned to its former glory.
Bob's Big Boy Broiler
7447 Firestone Blvd
Downey, CA
British autograph card. A publicity still from The Loves of Joanna Godden (Charles Frend, 1947).
British entertainer Googie Withers (1917-2011) had a long career in theatre, film, and television. From 1935 on, she appeared in more than 60 films and television productions, including some of the finest films of their time: Powell and Pressburger's One of Our Aircraft is Missing (1942), Miranda (1948), in which Glynis Johns played the mermaid and Withers the all-too-normal woman; and Jules Dassin's Film Noir Night and the City (1950), starring Richard Widmark.
Georgette Lizette 'Googie' Withers was born in 1917 in Karachi, British India. She was the daughter of British soldier Edgar Clements and Dutch Lizette Catarina Wilhelmina (van Wageningen). Googie was her nickname since childhood. She moved to Great Britain with her parents at the age of seven. Her father left the Royal Navy to manage a foundry in Birmingham. Googie was sent to a boarding school near Dover, and a secondary day school in London. In 1929, she made her stage debut at twelve in the chorus of the children's show 'The Windmill Man' at Victoria Palace. Her father hated the thought of his daughter going on the stage but her mother quietly encouraged her. Withers studied at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, and at the dance school of Buddy Bradley, where she learnt ballet and tap. At 16 she was the youngest member of the chorus of 'Nice Goings On' and was soon appearing in other popular musicals. She was a dancer in a West End production when she was offered work as a film extra in Michael Powell's The Girl in the Crowd (1935). She arrived on the set to find one of the major players in the production had been dismissed. She was immediately asked to step into the leading role, beginning a seven-year contract with Warner Brothers, after which she worked for Fox British, Ealing Studios and The Rank Organisation. During the 1930s, Googie Withers was constantly in demand for lead roles in minor films and supporting roles in more prestigious productions. Her best-known work of the period was as one of Margaret Lockwood's friends in Alfred Hitchcock's thriller The Lady Vanishes (1938). She was in the Will Hay comedy Convict 99 (Marcel Varnel, 1938) and supported Jack Buchanan in the comedy mystery The Gang's All Here (Thornton Freeland, 1939). She appeared opposite George Formby in the comedy Trouble Brewing (Anthony Kimmins, 1939) and Tommy Trinder in another comedy, She Couldn't Say No (Graham Cutts, 1939).
Among Googie Withers' successes of the 1940s was the topical World War II drama One of Our Aircraft Is Missing (Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger, 1942). She played a Dutch resistance fighter who helped British airmen return to safety from behind enemy lines. It was a departure from her previous comedy roles. Withers was the leading lady in the J.B. Priestley drama They Came to a City (Basil Dearden, 1945) and was one of several stars in the anthology supernatural horror film Dead of Night (Alberto Cavalcanti, a.o., 1945). She was given a star part in Pink String and Sealing Wax (Robert Hamer, 1945). It was well received, and Withers was given the title role in the historical drama The Loves of Joanna Godden (Charles Frend, 1947), which was a hit. In the cast was Australian actor and producer John McCallum, whom she married in 1948. They would often work together on stage and in films. Withers starred in It Always Rains on Sunday (Robert Hamer, 1948), which was one of the biggest hits of the year. British exhibitors voted her the 8th most popular British star in the country in 1948. Three comedies followed: the hugely popular Miranda (Ken Annakin, 1948), with Glynis Johns and McCallum, and Once Upon a Dream (1949) and Traveller's Joy (1949), both directed by Ralph Thomas. She is also remembered as the devious Helen Nosseross in the Film Noir Night and the City (Jules Dassin, 1950), third-billed after Hollywood stars Gene Tierney and Richard Widmark. Withers first toured Australia in the stage play 'Simon and Laura'. After McCallum was offered to run J.C. Williamson theatres, they moved to Australia in 1959. In the following decades, Whither starred in several Australian stage plays, but she also acted in London and on Broadway. Withers returned to films with the lead in Nickel Queen (1971), directed by McCallum. In 1974, she appeared as Faye Boswell, the original governor of a women's prison, in the television series Within These Walls. She continued to be active in the 1990s, appearing in two highly praised films. Country Life (Michael Blakemore,1994) was a version of Uncle Vanya set in Australia in 1919. In 1997, she was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Shine (Scott Hicks, 1997) starring Geoffrey Rush. It was her last film. In 2002, aged 85, Withers, with Vanessa Redgrave, appeared in London's West End, in Oscar Wilde's 'Lady Windermere's Fan'. With John McCallum, she had three children, two daughters Joanna and Amanda, and a son, Nicholas. Googie Withers died in 2011 at 94 in Sydney, Australia. She was the first non-Australian to be honoured with the Order of Australia, Officer Class (AO) in 1980, and was awarded the title Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2001.
Sources: Dennis Barker (The Guardian), Wikipedia (German and English) and IMDb.
And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.
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 Grand Opening
Oct. 19, 2009
Downey, California
This building is a great example of the “Googie style” coffee shops and drive-in restaurants that once dotted the southern California landscape. Googie Architecture called for buildings to read as signs to attract customers. Built in 1958 by owner Harvey Ortner, “Harvey’s Broiler” exhbtited many of the design features of Googie Architecture, including exaggerated roofs, dazzling signs, bright lighting, and glass walls. In 1966 Christos Smyrniotis, a former cook at the restaurant, purchased the restaurant and operated it under the name “Johnie’s Broiler” until it closed in February 2002.
The building was operated as a used car dealership from 2002 until 2007 when it suffered extensive damage when the tenant illegally demolished a large portion of the building. However, the City of Downey and Bob’s Big Boy, with support from concerned citizens and the Los Angeles Conservancy, devised a plan to conserve and rebuild Johnie’s Broiler. On August 12, 2008, the Downey City Council voted to provide financial assistance to resurrect this historical landmark under the name Bob’s Big Boy, another Southern California icon.
Bob’s Big Boy will continue the legacy of this great American coffee shop and drive-in restaurant for all to enjoy.
Owner: Jim Louder, Bob’s Big Boy
Architect: Paul B. Clayton
Reconstruction architect: Archeion
City of Downey
DN. Mario A. Guerra, Mayor
Anne M. Bayer, Mayor Pro Tem
David R. Gafin, Councilmember
Gerald M. Caton, City Manager
Filbert A. Livas, Deputy City Manager
Roger C. Brossmer, Councilmeber
Luis H. Marquez, Councilmember
A 76 gas station in Beverly Hills with a googie-styled canopy. Note the 76 ball which is becoming quite rare nowadays.
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."
We found a Googie starburst at the side of the road.
Morgan Heights, between Devils Elbow and St Robert, Missouri
20090923_0031a1_800x600
Still open in nearly original condition. The coffee shop is now a Japanese restaurant. It's worth making a trip to check out the dingbat sculpture out front.
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."
Spotted coming in for a landing just outside Loop 410 South. Southwest Signs, Loop 410 and W.W. White.
Citizens Bank in Squirrel Hill. Mid-Century Modern circular design. The scalloped roofline adds a Googie element to the design. 1801 Murray Avenue.
IMG_9718
I love googie signs. This one has the multi-tiers, the goofy lettering and the neon atom on top! Sweet!
Deland, Fl.
I just heard at school today that the city is making the owner take this sign down because it isn't meeting code requirements. Does anyone have any info on this?
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.