Orange County Googie Archive

Hello!

2010-08-27T10:30:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Orange County Googie Archive!

Many of you may have been directed here by the Whittier Conservancy Newsletter and I welcome you to explore the blog, especially the posts relating to the Greater Whittier area.

EDIT: You can view my photos in the Whittier Concervancy Newsletter here. (PDF)

It's unfortunately been quite some time since I've updated this blog, but in a way it's like a time capsule of how these architectural landmarks used to look just a few years ago. In many cases, the primest examples of Mid Century and Googie architecture in Orange County and South LA County have become much more dilapidated in the past few years.

Please, enjoy the archives of this blog and don't hesitate to contact me personally if you have any questions, stories, or comments concerning Googie in Orange County!

Melissa Cruz

Shoot from the Hip! is a design studio specializing in identity, web design, marketing & social media for small businesses. Our goal is to produce simple, great work that will make your small business stand out.

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P&M Plumbing

2007-09-22T12:45:00.000-07:00

P&M Plumbing, Santa Ana, CA.

Located right across the street from Vodie's is a fun ol' sign with a little raindrop on it. Sorry about the crummy picture, I took this one through my windshield, while driving. Either way, a great sign, again in Santa Ana.

P&M Plumbing, Heating, & Air Conditioning

1139 W 17th St.
Santa Ana, CA
(714) 972-9662

Vodie's Auto Center

2007-09-14T12:43:00.000-07:00

Vodie's Auto Center, Santa Ana, CA.

Wow, ok, so this sign is really swell. I wish I knew a bit of its history. It's not quite Googie, I don't know what to call it, but it's certainly a beautiful part of the otherwise drab OC skyline. Right around the corner from here is one of those ugly pre-fab shopping centers with a big ol' Target... zzz... I'll take this big teddy bear of a sign any day!

Vodie's Auto Center
1240 W 17th St
Santa Ana, CA 92706
(714) 543-8297

The Islander Apartments

2007-05-22T12:10:00.001-07:00

The Islander Apartments, Santa Ana, CA.

Two giant A-frames-- one over the entrance to the complex (with two Tiki poles on the front and back to support the middle of the frame), and one near the pool (with another Tiki pole supporting the middle of the frame). Click on the images to see them larger and close-up!

This is a little, old apartment complex in Santa Ana. Gated, quiet, filled with lush tropical foliage-- why it's a neighborhood Tiki paradise. Your escape to the Islands! I've tried to get into the manager's office to talk about renting one of these apartments several times, but no one ever answers!

Sorry about the hiatus, it was a heck of a semester at school, but now that it's summertime, I'll attempt to be regular in my updates, although I'll be taking another short leave in a few weeks to go to Europe for a month.

The Islander Apartments
2724 N. Bristol St.
Santa Ana, CA

Bailey's

2007-03-17T18:17:00.000-07:00

Bailey's Drive-In Liquor, Whittier, CA.

Ok, it's been open since 1922, so it's not quite Googie, but I still get a kick out of the architecture, the shapes, the signage, and the fonts enough to post it here. It's a Googie precursor, a predecessor if you will. And don't worry, you purists, I'll be coming home to Orange County soon (as in once I find time to do some more hunting!) Until then, enjoy Bailey's.

Bailey's Liquor Beverage
11415 Whittier Blvd
Whittier, CA 90601
(562) 695-7341

Whittier Area Commerce Building

2007-03-01T15:38:00.000-08:00

Whittier Area Commerce Building, Whittier, CA.

As a graphic designer, I find myself not only enthralled by Googie's and Mid-Century Modern's architectural forms, but also the typographical particularities of the age. I usually find a combination of these two great design elements only in neon signage, so it was a treat to finally take notice of this building, sitting on Whittier Blvd. as it likely has for decades. Geometric and decidedly Modern, the building is livened considerably by the typography which describes the building's purpose. The tracking, the kerning, the mish-mash of uppercase and lowercase letters-- it's enough to even get the most jaded and cynical of designers to smile a little!

Maybe this isn't the best example of lettering from the era, but with months of studying Googie, it's easy to wonder where the joy of gimmicky typography went, and why we don't live in a world where the "Googie's" logo for which this whole architectural movement is named isn't functional today, in a design sense. It's kitsch, it's retro, it's almost pandering, but Googie typography is fun and carefree. I hope fun typography will make a comeback someday.

Whittier Area Commerce Building
13601 Whittier Blvd
Whittier, CA 90605

Real Estate

2007-02-16T11:15:00.000-08:00

Realty Executives Cornerstone, Whittier, CA.

I'm not a photographer. I'd think over the six months of reading this blog, many of you may have come to realize this. My camera will take a heck of a crisp picture as far as a basic digital camera goes, but I can not for the life of me manipulate lighting, composition, etc. Christine at eleventwentyseven is a photographer, though. Click here to see her photo of this same sign.

When I was a little girl and Dad used to take me and my sister up to Uptown Whittier to eat my usual basket of popcorn chicken at Rocky Cola and buy a "The Girls are Prettier in Whittier" tee shirt at Melrose Vintage, I used to wish that one day I could buy this old building and reopen it as a really hip clothing store called "Real Estate". Maybe it sounds silly now, but this is one of my all-time favorite old signs.

Of course, it only contains a real estate agency, nothing quite as cool as a great coffee shop. Contents aside, this is a great sign. Wish they'd sell it to me.

Realty Executives Cornerstone
13604 Whittier Blvd.
Whittier, CA 90605

Whittier Budget Inn

2007-02-08T10:46:00.000-08:00

Whittier Budget Inn, Whittier, CA.

A motor motel turned "inn", this delapidated sign still stands between dozens of others along the west side of Whittier Blvd. It's hardly even legible any more.

Whittier Budget Inn
14030 Whittier Blvd.
Whittier, CA 90605

News & Updates

2007-02-01T22:39:00.000-08:00

This will be my first post to this blog without any photos or frills-- if that's what you're here for (which would be understandable, it's all I've ever done), then you are invited to continue to page down to the other, more graphical entries. I just wanted to reserve a little space to play catch-up.

Of course, the biggest news story to concern Googie in years is raging all around us, in Downey. Johnie's Broiler, a classic Googie diner, featured in almost every publication on Googie architecture, even featured on the back cover of Alan Hess' Googie Redux, has been mostly demolished. The news has been pretty widespread, with many LA-area preservation websites taking notice and making a stand, showing up at Downey city council meetings to ensure that something is done about this blatantly illegal act of intentional damage to a building which was eligible to become a national landmark.

Here are several links related to the demolition, both in the news and across the web:

L.A. Times
CBS 2 (with video)
johniesbroiler.com (take action!)

I'm very sorry that something like this is what it finally takes for preservation societies like ModCom to take notice of Googie as a very important architectural style in the history of Los Angeles and the roadside landscape. Googie is important, it is a valid architectural style, and if somebody doesn't step up for it, and soon, it's going to be gone, and all we're going to have are watered-down remodels and contemporary remakes of the classics.

In other news, I had dinner tonight at the La Palma Chicken Pie Shop, and it was as delicious as it always has been. The current, original owners apparently have no interest in selling the place, and since it's been operating for about 50 years now, your best bet is to experience the great food to be had here before it's gone for good, along with another great Googie sign. The chicken noodle soup is the best you're ever had, and for less than $7, you can get a meal with several courses, all served up with a smile. It's a classic, don't put it off.

Googie is important. It needs to be preserved. We need to be reminded of what we used to think our future could be, to remind us how our current view of the future is so bleak. I won't rest until I have my floating car and my rocket ship, and my house made all of plastic. I want the future, I want it now, and Googie is a great way of finding it. We need to all remember that.

Twin Palms Village

2007-01-31T00:45:00.000-08:00

Twin Palms Village, Whittier, CA.

A great old set of signs (yes, there are TWO!) along Whittier Blvd. A lot of great shapes, and it still lights up at night!

Twin Palms Village
14748 Whittier Blvd.
Whittier, CA. 90605

Friendly Hills Bowl

2007-01-19T12:33:00.000-08:00

Friendly Hills Bowl, Whittier, CA.

Above are both sides of Friendly Hills Bowl's beautiful marquee. The "O" has fallen off on both sides. The place certainly announces itself, from it's quiet nook across the street from Whitwood Mall. I can't believe there's a hair salon INSIDE the bowling alley.

There's this great boomerang shape that makes of the roof overhang of the entrance to the alley, and some great stonework that supports it. Oh, that Googie satisfaction of primordial man and modern technology. The perfect anachronism.

The Brush Script font which has become so cliche in today's design graces the side of the alley, with that classic Googie font spelling out "BOWL", all in lavender.

I fell in love with there light fixtures, which looked old enough in person to be original. The shape is oh so Googie, I just love it.

Friendly Hills Bowl
15545 E. Whittier Blvd.
Whittier, CA 90603
(562) 947-3815

La Habra Motel

2007-01-12T12:21:00.000-08:00

La Habra Motel, La Habra, CA.

Taken from the driver's seat of my car, through the windshield, traveling east on Whittier Blvd., one more shot of some of La Habra's Googie gold. I love how all these old motels have had the "no" part of their "no vacancy" signs removed. Always a vacancy at these now-crummy places.

La Habra Motel
200 E. Whittier Blvd.
La Habra, CA 90621

Seafare Inn

2007-01-04T09:31:00.000-08:00

Seafare Inn, Whittier, CA.

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

La Habra Circle

2006-12-29T21:24:00.000-08:00

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

2006-12-20T10:06:00.000-08:00

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

2006-12-12T02:29:00.000-08:00

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

2006-12-06T11:26:00.000-08:00

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

2006-12-01T12:42:00.000-08:00

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

Coco's

2006-11-24T11:44:00.000-08:00

Coco's, Garden Grove, CA.

Designed by the Googie architects Armet & Davis, this Coco's sits nestled on the corner of Chapman and Harbor Blvd. minding its own business. Little has changed about the exterior of this building since it opened as the first Bob's Big Boy designed by the legendary architects in 1957. Those concrete pillars holding up that beautiful sloping roof used to be covered in flagcrete, but considering the preservation apparent in the rest of the bulding, its removal can be forgiven. Those jutting pylons still shoot out of the sign, announcing yet a another greasy spoon off the road.

Unfortunately there's nothing left of the original interior (I doubt it was "Coco's" enough), so I stuck to the outside. At least there's something left of this building's history, unlike the Coco's right up the street on Katella and West, which used to be a glorious Sambo's on the lot of Stovall's Space Age Inn-- there's nothing left of this Googie landmark but the basic foundation. It's a regular ol' modern-day diner. So much for preservation.

Huff's Coffee Shop

2006-11-17T12:16:00.000-08:00

Huff's Coffee Shop, Long Beach, CA

The sign doesn't turn anymore, half of the neon is burnt out, there's rust and dirt and grime. Yet, it's another Googie coffee shop sign. The side of the building was built up with volcano rock, which was amazing, but my camera's battery died and I didn't get a chance to snap it.

Huff's is "technically" in Long Beach, but since it's right across the street from Los Alamitos High School, I figured that it was close enough to count as Orange County.

Huff's Coffee Shop
8105 E. Wardlow Rd.
Long Beach, CA 90808

The Tower of Hope

2006-11-09T11:48:00.000-08:00

Tower of Hope, Drive-In Church, Garden Grove, CA.

Another mid-century modern masterpiece, (which seems to be my focus more and more lately), Richard Neutra's Tower of Hope and Drive-In Church at Garden Grove's Crystal Cathedral has some of the foundations of Googie architecture-- The melding of technology and the natural world, long flat buildings, wide windows, and soaring towers. A student of Frank Lloyd Wright, Richard Neutra probably would have been offended at the thought that his building could be considered Googie in the slightest.

A contemporary of Eames, as well as a co-architect on the Case Study House project, Neutra worked on several Modern masterpieces from the 1930's through the 1960's. In fact, my ex-boyfriend's aunt owned the Kaufmann Desert House in Palm Springs, and filled it with Eames furniture (DCW chairs and Lounge Chairs and Ottomans), and it's unfortunate that I never pushed him to take me when I knew him (Trust me, there's no chance of going now).

The Crystal Cathedral is relatively open to visitors--with it being so large, it's easy to wander the grounds and take pictures without anyone asking questions-- and I recommend going to visit the church site yourself. (I'd love to go back and climb the beautiful staircase)

Crystal Cathedral
12141 Lewis St
Garden Grove, CA 92840

The Eames Case Study House (#8)

2006-10-27T16:29:00.000-07:00

The Eames House, Case Study House #8, Pacific Palisades, CA.

A little trip outside of Orange County for something really special. These designers created a world of geometry and science in art which planted the seeds for Googie. The Eames' are my everything, and it was something magical to visit their home and studio in Pacific Palisades. Please enjoy.

The Eames house was built in 1949 in about three days, by hand, with off-the-shelf steel parts. Originally designed in 1946 with Eero Saarinen, the layout was rearranged to accomodate the beautiful meadow that the real estate contained. The house was instead nestled in the corner within the meadow. The Eames' occupied the house until their deaths.

Having watched all the Eames' films available on dvd, I was wowed to see little details inside the house that I had seen in House: After 5 Years of Living and other Eames' films. I would have taken photos, but it was asked that I only take photos of the exterior (although you can see the beautiful staircase in one of the photos, through the open doorway).

The Eames' House is open year-round for exterior-only tours, although the curtains and doors are open to be able to look inside. The home is still filled with Eames furniture, from the fiberglass molded chairs to the lounge chair.

I even convinced my boyfriend how great the Eames are. He's dying for an armchair, trying to get me to buy one for him-- sure, when I have a spare $5000! (Herman Miller still manufactures them).

Ye Barber

2006-10-25T09:55:00.000-07:00

Ye Barber, Anaheim, CA.

Same shopping center as the La Palma Chicken Pie Shop, a great old sign. According to Roadside Peek [link], the sign was brought over by the owners from Vietnam when they moved to Anaheim.

Ye Barbers
930 N. Euclid St.
Anaheim, CA 92801

Chappy's Liquor

2006-10-19T01:23:00.000-07:00

Chappy's Liquor, Anaheim, CA.

Right next to "Tomy's Drive-In" on Chapman, another great sign for a liquor store.

Chappy's Liquor
9682 Chapman Ave.
Garden Grove, CA 92841

Satellite Center

2006-10-16T10:26:00.000-07:00

Satellite Center, Anaheim, CA.

Although nowdays it's the standard for Googie architecture to be removed for the "greater good" of the community and "progress," sometimes there sign regulations can manifest a snarky little jibe at the city council, too. Case-in-point, the Satellite Market in Anaheim. Located right off the 5 freeway at Katella, the glowing metal sputnik that used to grace the top of their sign was claimed by progress in 1999, when the city began revamping the Anaheim Resort area to prepare for all the revenue that Disney's now-failed California Adventure park would pull in, and also for widening of the I-5 freeway.

But, the clever shop owners at the Satellite couldn't just let their beloved sputnik be dismantled completely. Instead, they threw a big "F you!" to the establishment, putting a vector-based image of the same sign on their new, city-mandated sign, identical in shape and size to every other sign on the street.

The sign was apparently saved by a fan and was stored in a backyard in Pasadena, according to anaheimcolony.com [link] The American Sign Museum in Ohio now has the Satellite sign as a part of its permanent collection. [link]

An homage to the Satellite Shopland's sputnik of the past:

In a way, Googie's shopowners can preserve a shell on their history. At Satellite Shopland, still a good old-fashioned market, they have done just that.

South Side Market

2006-10-05T19:23:00.000-07:00

South Side Market, Orange, CA.

I drive past this place at least four days a week, since I go to school at Chapman University. Noticed earlier this week that the $0.99 video rental sign was scrubbed off the windows, and pulled up earlier this week to snap a picture of the sign, just in case...

Turns out that I might have had a good idea. Things maybe aren't lookin' so good for South Side Market.

South Side Market
391 S Glassell St.
Orange, CA 92866

Chris & Pitts BAR-B-Q

2006-10-02T09:53:00.000-07:00

Chris & Pitts BAR-B-Q, Anaheim, CA.

That sign sparkled with a million tiny lights when I drove past it. At 2 in the afternoon. Love the font on the "cocktails" parts of the sign-- reminds me of my favorite kinds of motels. Building's not so exciting, but it has a fun sign too.

Chris & Pitts of Anaheim
601 N Euclid St
Anaheim, CA 92801
(714) 635-2601

La Palma Chicken Pie Shop

2006-09-28T19:34:00.000-07:00

La Palma Chicken Pie Shop, Anaheim, CA.

That plate of food might look a little unappetizing, but I assure you, it was the best chicken pot pie I've ever eaten in my life. I licked my plate clean. For $6.20, I got a salad, a cup of delicious chicken noodle soup, that pot pie with mashed potatoes, and a slice of boysenberry pie. Not only did I leave stuffed and satisfied, delighted by a waitress who called me "dear" and other charming colloquialisms, but I got a couple beautiful snapshops of some gorgeous Googie signage. There was a giant iron piece of the chicken on the street sign mounted on a wall inside, but it seemed a little rude of me to just start snapping photos. Everyone was cordial, despite my wild appearance (I hardly fit in with the mostly-senior crowd), and I must reiterate the deliciousness of the food.

Stop by this place for a great deal, great food, warm service, and a full belly.

It's posts like these that make me want to become a food blogger too!

Seventh-Day Adventist Church

2006-09-26T17:58:00.000-07:00

Seventh Day Adventist Church, Orange, CA.

The whole building is made out of flagcrete. They have an outdoor courtyard filled with desert sand and stonework and desert plants. Low-lying roofs with flat overhangs held up by minimal metal beams. Oh, and that courtyard? It's in-between two magnificent A-frame roofs! The whole thing is incredible. Not sure when it was built. I was invited by a parishioner to speak with the pastor, but it all seemed a little eerie at 5 pm on a Tuesday, so I backed out and climbed back into my car. But what a fun-looking church!

Orange Seventh-Day Adventist Church
1310 E Walnut Ave
Orange, CA 92867
(714) 538-1809

Fortune Cookies

2006-09-22T13:47:00.000-07:00

Fortune Cookies, Los Alamitos (Rossmoor), CA.

Some of the neatest and subtlest Googie I've seen in a while. Parts of the sign have been slightly altered, but I really doubt a business opened any time after 1980 would choose to build a big road-pulling sign like this! And although the building is brick, there's so many beautiful horizontal and vertical lines. And look at those protruding pieces, that serve no purpose other than to be neat! That neon sign? Possibly original, otherwise what a backwards-thinking business owner. ( You know, "Let's build this place in a slightly controversial [because of the racial stereotyping, a la Sambo's] and unpopular style from the '50's and '60's" ) Don't know when this place was originally built.

Fortune Cookies
11151 Los Alamitos Blvd.
Los Alamitos, CA 90720
(562) 493-0058

Chapman Car Wash

2006-09-16T09:41:00.000-07:00

Chapman Car Wash, Garden Grove, CA.

A picture of each side of the sign. The west side of the sign has been readapted as a pigeon's coop-- it's covered in their mess and filled with them in all the cracks. The east, darker side of the sign is much cleaner (but harder to see since the sun was right behind it). Imagine whether those pylons on the top of the sign used to keep moving up up up-- maybe they had a couple sputniks or starbursts on top. It's hard with these old signs to tell what exactly has been changed. Like, for example, the "car wash" font on this sign is most likely not original-- it's too plain for a sign with so many shapes!

Chapman Car Wash
9732 Chapman Ave.
Garden Grove, CA 92841

Earl's Home Cookin'

2006-09-12T02:35:00.000-07:00

Earl's Home Cookin', Orange, CA.

Open 25 hours a day, 7 days a week since 1970, Earl's Home Cookin' is an Orange County stadard. Poor service, a diner attitude, and hearty mediocre food are all wrapped inside one sweet little modern building with a slanted overhang roof, flagcrete pillars, and formica countertops.

Affordable! A gargantuan top sirloin with a baked potato for only $6.99. A "#86" combo-- 2 eggs, 2 bacon, 2 sausage, 2 pancakes, for $3.49! The perfect late-night eatery when everything else is closed in OC after 10 pm. A little slice of the good ol' days is still available in the heart of Orange County. And the coffee ain't bad either!

Earl's Home Cookin'
807 N. Tustin St.
Orange, CA 92867

Thrifty Car Sales

2006-09-10T14:47:00.000-07:00

Thrifty Car Sales (Harbor Motors), Costa Mesa, CA.

What a fun roof! But it's so dirty. They should hose that off.

Thrifty Car Sales
2640 B Harbor Blvd.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Hi-Crest Liquor

2006-09-08T11:26:00.000-07:00

Hi-Crest Liquor and Junior Market, Garden Grove, CA.

This roof's got quite the zig-zag on it! And flagcrete walls that wrap all the way around the building!

Hi-Crest Liquor and Junior Market
12055 Chapman Ave.
Garden Grove, CA 92840

Sky Palm Motel

2006-09-06T01:07:00.000-07:00

Sky Palm Motel, Orange, CA.

An old run-down motel in the middle of Orange. Volcano rock walls. Palm trees. The Mid-Century Modern geometric shapes on the front of the motel. That A-frame roof. The geometric shapes all over the staircases. The light fixtures under that A-frame, which are hard too see, but so delightful. But most of all, that beautiful neon sign.

The lights have been removed on the "NO" part of the "NO VACANCY" sign. This place is a run-down heap. But so, so Googie!

Sky Palm Motel/Sky Palm International Lodge
210 N Tustin St.
Orange, CA 92867
(714) 639-6602

Linbrook Bowl

2006-09-04T13:54:00.000-07:00

Linbrook Bowl, Anaheim, CA.

As good ol' Googie bowling alleys featuring 40 lanes shut down all over California, at least some outstanding examples remain. Linbrook Bowl, so named because it sits on the intersection of Lincoln Ave and Brookhurst in Anaheim, and has operated as a family-owned business since 1958.

The marquee is fantastic! The typography on the Coffee Shop sign-- to die for! That welcome sign? So Mid-Century! All the flagcrete? Phenomenal!

The designers here had something right-- what went wrong between then and now?

The Parasol

2006-09-02T02:47:00.000-07:00

The Parasol, Seal Beach (Rossmoor), CA.

There is some very exciting news afoot in the Googie community, as we speak! According to several good sources, it is confirmed that the iconic Parasol restaurant in Rossmoor/Seal Beach will be re-opening in 2007 as Orange County's first Mel's Drive-In!

Several changes have happened with the plans for The Parasol. Initially, the building was slated for demolition, along with Rossmoor Bowl and other locations in the shopping center. A group of upset members of the community banded together and called themselves "The Friends of the Parasol," and initiated a petition (which garnered over 10,000 signatures) to prevent the closure of the restaurant, which was popular with the nearby Leisure World retirement community. Once every other building in the center was leveled, it was clear that the Parasol would, in fact, be saved and renovated.

For about 6 weeks, the plan seemed solid, until a bit of news was released in late May. Roy Hall, the restaurant's operator, had been unable to reach an agreement on lease terms with Century National Properties, the landlord of the property, and so left the project. This put a bit of a damper on the situation. Even if the restaurant was restored, it would be done without many of it's most famous elements-- the parasol-shaped chandeliers and lamps.

But Century National Properties is still spending $1.5 million to renovate this little restaurant, which opened in 1967.

Mel's Drive-In is a perfect company to take over as tenant of this venerated Googie landmark. Operating since 1947, Mel's has operated out of some of the most outlandish Googie buildings. Featured in Lucas' American Graffiti, and functioning in Universal theme parks worldwide, the noteriety of the Mel's name, as well as their attention to the history of the building, should spell good news for the community. Rossmoor, a community with the highest gross income of any area in North Orange County, can now have their cake (keeping an old establishment with a long history), and eat it too (...in a brand-new shopping center). The news was announced on August 31, 2006 in the OC Register. [link]

Thank you, Seal Beach, Century National Properties, and Mel's Drive-In for proving that Googie's got some worth, and can still be topical to our society today!

Here are several more links with pictures and information about The Parasol, for those interested:

Article in OC Weekly w/ interior photo, Aug 22, 2002. [link]
Article in OC Register about closure, Mar 15, 2006. [link]
Article in OC Register about closure, Mar 14, 2006. [link]
Article in Yahoo! Finance about new tenant (Mel's), Aug 31, 2006. [link]

The Parasol Restaurant
12241 Seal Beach Blvd.
Seal Beach, CA 90740

Johnie's Jr.

2006-08-31T22:42:00.000-07:00

Johnie's Jr., Orange, CA.

Johnie's Jr. Burgers isn't really a Googie style building at all. The sign isn't even Googie. It's a plain square sign right off of Tustin Ave. in Orange. But the sign looks similar to something else. Something familiar in the world of Googie.

Photo: laokay.com

Ah! Yes! Johnie's Broiler, in Downey! The association between the two restaurants is not clear, other than the little fat boy on the sign, and the sharing of the name. Is anyone familiar with a history between the two establishments? Is Johnie's Jr. an offshoot of the original Downey location to serve Orange County's need for a Johnie's Burger?

Johnnie's Jr. Burgers
1061 N. Tustin St.
Orange, CA 92867

Ivanhoe Motel

2006-08-30T03:55:00.000-07:00

Ivanhoe Motel, Anaheim, CA.

Demolished.

The Ivanhoe Motel was owned by the same folks who own the next-door Zaby's Motor Inn, and a couple other prime locations along Katella Ave. and Harbor Blvd., near the Disneyland Resort. The attendant at the counter at Zaby's stated that the owners are trying to sell several prime lots in the general vicinity as a package together. The previous location of the Ivanhoe Motel would fall into the sale.

The loss of Zaby's Motor Inn is not a major blow (or even a minor blow), and photographs of Ivanhoe Motel before its demolition are unavailable. But based on the flagcrete that was left over when the pictures here were taken-- midway through the location's demolition in mid-May 2006-- there are hints of a colorful Googie past.

The lot now sits empty behind a chain link fence, awaiting future development.

The demolition was mentioned in the Orange County Register on June 4, 2006. [link]

Ivanhoe Motel (Demolished)
434 W. Katella Ave.
Anaheim, CA 92802

Jubilee Square

2006-08-28T02:48:00.000-07:00

Jubilee Square, Orange, CA.

Half of Googie's character comes from its typography. While the Jubilee Square sign is not particularly exciting in its shape or color, the typography on the top sign does all the work. (Although that starburst on top helps a little!)

Jubilee Square
200 block, N. Tustin St.
Orange, CA 92867

Chuy's Burgers

2006-08-27T00:47:00.000-07:00

Chuy's Burgers, Anaheim, CA.

This sign is Googie all over-- different smaller signs of differing shapes and sizes all working together to pull the driver off the road. The shopping center which holds this aging beauty is old-- most of the storefronts are covered in flagcrete. The spears at the very top of the sign are full of character. Is it possible another business could have utilized this sign before the Mexican food drive-thru took over?

The lights on this sign are never on after dark, which is incredibly unfortunate. The different lights on each sign could be quite a spectacle. Instead, a daytime photo will have to suffice.

Chuy's Burgers
1867 W. Katella Ave.
Anaheim, CA 92804

Sav-On Drugs

2006-08-26T04:05:00.000-07:00

Sav-On Drugs, Seal Beach, CA.

Arched rooves, flagcrete walls. The building is shared with a Pavilions market; the architectural theming is identical for both businesses.

According to an article in the Orange County Register, the Seal Beach Shopping Center-- most of which was built in the 1970's (I know, past Googie's real peak, but the Googie-inspired elements are all there)-- is to be completely renovated, and the structure stands to be torn down in the spring of 2007. [link]

Sav-On Drugs
1111 Pacific Coast Hwy.
Seal Beach, CA 90740

Pavilions Market
1101 Pacific Coast Hwy.
Seal Beach, CA 90740

Rossmoor Bowl

2006-08-25T03:16:00.000-07:00

Rossmoor Bowl, Los Alamitos (Rossmoor), CA.

Demolished.

After 44 years, Rossmoor Bowl took its last strike on April 30, 2006. By the end of July, the entire structure had been demolished. Yet another classic Googie 'BOWL' sign and zig-zag roof fall victim to nouveau riche bourgeois "progress" in Orange County.

The closure merited an article in the Orange County Register on May 1, 2006. [link]