View allAll Photos Tagged Googie

Classic!

 

Check the remaining downlight shaft!

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.

1964-65 World's Fair Seating Pavilions

Flushing Bay, Queens, NY

June 12, 2013

A googie-esque sign for Fred's Auto Parts in Toledo, Ohio.

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.

Reflections of neon signs adorn the hood and windshield of a Pontiac Bonneville “Nudie Mobile,” once owned by cowboy country fashion designer Nudie Cohn, 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.

Eugene, Lane County, OR

Listed: 06/01/2011

 

Car dealerships generally aren’t known for their great architecture, but the Lew Williams Chevrolet Dealership is an exception. With its character-defining “space age” display pavilion – influenced by the International building style – it has long served as an icon of modern design for the city of Eugene, Oregon. So much so, that the pavilion, considered “the strongest example of Googie in Eugene," is now listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Prior to becoming a car dealership, the c. 1949 building was actually home to a Coca-Cola bottling plant, but when the plant moved in the late 1950s, Lew Williams, who already had a dealership downtown, bought it for its prime location next to the newly widened Highway 99. The site needed a little sprucing up though, so he consulted with Balzhiser, Sedar, and Rhodes, a local architecture firm. The result was the c. 1960 attachment of a one-story, elliptical building with floor-to-ceiling windows and a “potato chip” style roof, which attracts admirers even today. The building was sold to Joseph Romania in 1969 and remained a Chevrolet dealership until 2005 when the University of Oregon purchased it. Considered significant for its association with the changing transportation infrastructure and automotive patterns, and as an outstanding example of post-war modern era commercial architecture, the dealership was listed in the register on June 1.

 

Featured in Heritage News

 

National Register of Historic Places

This is a better close-up shot from a few years back.

Camdenton, MO 2004

I was there looking at the wine selection last Saturday and hey, any excuse to shoot the sign!

Neat typeface on this survivor, San Bernardino, CA

Fortunately for San Francisco (though rather unfortunately for photographers) the city was largely spared the scourge of googie architecture which swept the more Southerly parts of the State in the postwar years. During my interviews with United near SFO airport however, I found this bombastic palatial example of the high googie raygun gothic in Burlingame. The Hyatt Cinema itself appears to be abandoned and empty, however, there are still tenants in the retail & office spaces of this behemoth, including the rather depressing looking chinese restaurant whose owners don't even seem to care about the letters falling off their sign on the sign at the entrance to the parking lot. Incidentally, I got the job with United the day I took this picture, but didn't get round to editing & uploading it till the day I was laid off a little over a month later.

Googie gas station

NE 50th and MLK Blvd.

OKC

 

This is one of my very favorite structures in OKC; every time I drive by it, I get goosebumps!

 

Here's more information about it:

 

flickr.com/photos/25726169@N03/3074477497/

  

The former Griff's Burger Bar, Paducah, Ky. This is one of a very few examples of California coffee shop/Googie/kitch architecture in Paducah — and the ony one I know of that's still standing.

When I was a child growing up near Blackstone Ave, this was the Water Tree Inn. The coffee shop is now a sushi joint. It was right next to another googie motel called The Tropicana. Unfortunately, that one was remodeled and lost its googie facade.

Modern "supersized" take on original McDonald's architecture, 8913 Washington Blvd, Pico Rivera, California, 2-9-2019.

2901 Flower St, Los Angeles

Alma, Georgia

 

Constructed in the mid 1960s by the then Alma Exchange Bank. It began operation January 25, 1966. The design was a concept of a founder Mr Valene Bennett who saw the "googie architecture" at the 1964 World's Fair in Flushing, NY. It was restored in 2020 by the sons of Mr Bennett, who know are Chairman and Vice Chairman of Pineland Bank.

 

Historic Plaque:

www.flickr.com/photos/auvet/52152172423/in/datetaken-public/

Unlike all the other signs, no Internet presence for sign or property.

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.

Chemosphere "Malin House" "John Lautner" ultramodern roadside architecture "Los Angeles" Taschen "Mulholland Drive" Hollywood Hills

If you like to order prints please visit www.roadsidegallery.com/store/catalog/route-66/california...

 

West Theater Route 66 Grants, NM

PRINT FOR SALE---WHAT A FUN IMAMGE.

THE 'WEST THEATRE' BUILT IN THE 'GOOGIE STYLE' ARCHITECTURE. JUST FANTASTIC!

 

This is a Fine Art photo of the the marquee sign for the 'WEST THEATRE' which was located on Santa Fe Avenue in Grants, New Mexico. It is an excellent example of the Googie style of architecture.

 

Built in 1971, this Googie-style building was designed by George Terp to serve as an Archway Standard Gas Station, which later was rebranded to an Amoco station, and today is a BP Gas Station. The building features a distinctive vaulted concrete canopy with two support columns at the north end, a small, simple shop building beneath the south end of the canopy, a hexagonal footprint, and a curved cut-out between the two columns at the north end of the structure. The future of the building is presently uncertain, with plans to shutter the gas station and redeveloping the site for the usage by the adjacent Moody Church being floated.

Located on Austin HWY in San Antonio TX.

1960's era building which is now an automotive detail shop called Auto Perfection.

11441 E Carson St, Lakewood, CA

Beach and Ball in Anaheim, CA

I believe I shot this in Greenfield, Indiana. It was on Route 40 east of Indianapolis. This would be great to see lit.

Good mid-century modern or googie lines on this sign.

lightweight fabric more suitable for PJs or blouses

San Jose, CA

There were three of these buildings. They looked like spaceships that had landed, very cool.

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.

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