On my recent pilgrimage into La Habra for Googie hunting, I traveled a little farther into Whittier. Another town that's dear to my heart, though technically in Los Angeles County, Whittier is filled with most of the Googie architecture that I'm familiar with.I'm going to say that January's going to be Whittier Month around here at the OC GOogie Archive, because I can't ignore some of the great stuff I took snapshots of. It's worth posting.
The Seafare Inn opened in 1961 and is still family owned and operated. Despite driving past it hundreds of times throughout the course of my life, I have never eaten there. If I rectify the situation, I will post photos. Either way, they whole front of the structure is built from stone, there's an outdoor seashell fountain, a shipwrecked skiff, and other sea-related paraphenelia. Of note most of all though, is the beautiful sign, with a swordfish for an "S". The pylons stick through the sign and emerge out the top. Beautiful place, someday I'll explore the inside too.
Seafare Inn
16363 Whittier Blvd.
Whittier, CA 90603
(562) 947-6645
5 comments:
so gorgeous!! :-) btw thanks for keeping the blog alive. happy new year to ya!
That's great! Love the rockwork...
Thought I'd share this sad news story with you.
I first visited the Seafare in 1965 and have probably been there more than 100 times since. With the exception of a couple of chicken items, the menu features only seafood. It is owned by the Milhous family, which has been in the Whittier area since 1897.
Since it opened on August 8, 1961, the Seafare has outlasted almost all of the other eateries along Whittier Blvd., including Bob's Big Boy, another fine example of mid-century modern architcture, which opened in 1960 and closed around 1980, Whirly's Drive-in, with its huge neon sign featuring tubular neon lights arranged in concentric circles, which closed in 1962, and Winchell's at Whittier and Colima, which I first visited in 1957. The shop's sign featured a huge doughnut that made it all but impossible to miss.
Post a Comment