La Habra Circle

La Habra Circle, La Habra, CA


This is a bad picture. It's taken from the driver's seat on my car while traveling east on Beach Blvd. So I'm on the opposite side of the street. It bothers me that I forgot that these two sets of signs existed. I literally lived for 9 years in an apartment about a mile away from this shopping center, and my step-father was a shift lead at that Blockbuster for a while. I was driving up Beach Blvd. from Whittier Blvd., determined to photograph Googie gold, when I did a double-take and noticed this lovely sign.

So, I snapped a photo (my memory card was begging me to save room on it for photos in Whittier), and although it's not the best quality, it gets the point across. A great, great sign in one of the last old shopping centers off La Habra Blvd.

La Habra Circle
1900 block, W. La Habra Blvd.
La Habra, CA 90631

La Habra Car Wash

La Habra Car Wash, La Habra, CA.



In the top photo, the sign looks bad but you can see that beautiful row of steel pylons jutting up into the sky. Each pylon is matched with a palm tree. This car wash really announces itself, and I remember that I used to love to drive past it as a little kid. This Googie fascination started early!

In the second photo, you can see that twirling sign a little bit better. Unfortunately, I don't think it spins any more. At least, when I was there it wasn't.

La Habra 100% Hand Car Wash
1801 W Whittier Blvd
La Habra, CA 90631

White Automotive

White Automotive, La Habra, CA.

What a boomerang! It's been a while since I've seen one like that! Love the font on "white"-- really retro and hip. So many different shapes on this sign!

White Automotive
250 E. Whittier Blvd.
La Habra, CA 90631

Hyland Motel

Hyland Motel, La Habra, CA.

A run-down motel across the street from the La Habra 300 Bowl. Day Sleepers Welcome. Looks like it used to have a swimming pool (but they've rubbed that bit of information right off of the streetside neon sign)

Hyland Motel
301 E Whittier Blvd
La Habra, CA 90631

(562) 694-1071

La Habra 300 Bowl

La Habra 300 Bowl, La Habra, CA.







Ah! Ah! What is there to say?! It's beautiful. The sign. That starburst! The neon! Oh, those A-frames! Those pylons with the big holes punched out! That coffee shop, almost perfectly preserved! Why, I'm in Googie heaven!

I think the reason I'm so obsessed with Googie is cause I grew up right off the street from all this stuff. Born and raised in La Habra, nestled in a crummy apartment off Idaho, between Lambert & Whittier Blvd, I have the unique perspective of being raised in the Space Age-- in the '80's! I'm going to be spending the next couple weeks covering Whittier Blvd, from it's residential beginnings in Brea to it's big time boulevard status in Norwalk. I know, I'm gonna dabble in LA County, but there's too much good stuff just to not post it 'cause it's in Los Angeles!

Stay tuned, kids. Some of the best examples of Orange County Googie are off of Whittier Blvd. in La Habra, and I don't intend to let you miss a bit of it!

La Habra 300 Bowl
370 E Whittier Blvd
La Habra, CA 90631