I wish I could say that when I moved to Los Angeles in 1994, I developed a fascination with ’50s modernist commercial buildings. But it would be a lie. I was already fascinated with it way before then, and it only got worse after visits to Bob’s Big Boy and old IHOPs. You know the type of structures I’m talking about, the neon-laced, glitzy, and sometimes kitschy buildings often referred to as Googie architecture; a mix of modernism, car culture, jets, and the Atomic age. (Above, Hody’s in North Hollywood).
It’s rather fascinating to see this period, where advertising was becoming an integral part of a building’s design; with the obvious aim of attracting customers from a distance. In this period, the meshing of structure, signage, and color often provided striking and memorable designs, for better or worse. With that said, today’s gallery won’t be strictly Googie; but will certainly be modernist, and it will range from the cool to the kitschy.
Sea Dip Hotel, Daytona Beach, FL.
Lucky Lodge Motel, Lake Tahoe, CA.
Half Moon Inn, San Diego, CA.
Fantasy Motel, Anaheim, California.
Covey’s Little America, Wyoming.
The Thunderbird Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, NV.
Nugget Casino, Sparks, NV.
Broadway Plaza Motel, Denver, Colorado.
Love the ’59 Chev at the Sea Dip!
The Chevy is nice, but boring white? If you are going to a place like the Sea Dip, you need that flamingo pink 59 Ford! 🙂
Nice pics of cars and architecture. At least the Half Moon Inn is still around, so you can park your modern car outside.
https://www.halfmooninn.com/
This architect loves them all, especially the Half Moon Inn in San Diego. Well, the Nugget in Sparks, Nevada looks like it was converted from a grocery store.
One thing strikes me: The irony of the Mark II Continental at Hody’s in the first image parked next to the ’54 Ford with its continental kit.
I love these postcards, and it’s amazing that some of these structures are still standing. Looks like the Half Moon Inn still looks pretty much the same. The Sea Dip Motel in Daytona Beach is still there as well, though painted boringly in monochrome cream (see below).
I remember in 1989 when my father and I drove cross-country, we spent a night at Little America on I-80 in Wyoming. It’s still very much there as well, though I suspect the original commercial buildings are gone.
Meanwhile, the Fantasy Motel in Anaheim has been replaced by this hotel below, designed to look (unconvincingly) like a castle.
It’s across the street from Disneyland, which probably explains the appearance, but future generations will probably gawk at pictures of this in bemused astonishment.
Also still standing is the Broadway Plaza Motel, which was rehabbed several years ago into a tech-focused office building – leaving the structure itself largely intact. Interesting concept… certainly better than demolishing it and building some nondescript building in its place.
Good comparison. I tend to neglect the power of color, but it’s dramatic here. With the colors, the Sea Dip shows off its wave-like shapes. Without the colors it’s just generic modernist.
Wonder how many people pull into Hody”s Car Service and ask for an oil change?
I moved to Los Angeles in 1966 from Maryland. In the Baltimore region the place to go for hamburgers was Gino’s as in Gino Marchetti of the Baltimore Colts. Never saw a MacDonalds. So in the Valley the first place we went to that had burgers was Bob’s Big Boy. I still recall that place somewhere off Roscoe Blvd. There was even one in Danville, Northern California, when I opened my office in 1982.
Moved to San Diego in 1968 and saw Half Moon Inn, as pictured, in 1970 out on Shelter Island when I started driving. There would also be Vacation Village in the middle of Mission Bay with a similar look then.
I should really get a picture of a large Sonic drive-in restaurant in Merced at night. Blue neon landmark.
I would always get the Gino Giant in Alexandria. In the mid 70s, it became a Roy Rogers, owned by Marriott. We kids usually got spaghetti at Bob’s/Shoney’s on either coast, which was dumb, because Mom’s was better.
All of these look so amazing. The fact that these scenes are depicted in color adds extra vibrancy to the ebullient architectural styles. Big fan of Googie here. There’s a little bit of it left in Chicago.
Curious “whole lot a” cars at “Broadway Plaza”, in “Denver”…H’mm.
Another example of that sort of architecture was the Jack Tar Hotel in San Francisco
https://www.flickr.com/photos/walkingsf/5592787409
Another place I am well acquainted with at Geary and Post. Later became Cathedral Hill Hotel and was torn down in 2013 to make room for an extension of California Pacific Medical Center which has their original location above Japan Town. I did a one quarter residency at the old PMC in 1981 showing ophthalmological residents how to deal with contact lenses. By the way most San Franciscans made fun of the modernist look of the hotel calling it the “Texas’ idea of what Los Angeles looks like.” I had been in it in the 70’s.
Wife: You looking at those old cars again?
Me: Yeah, say what was that motel you worked at in Anaheim?
Wife: Across from Disneyland, the Fantasy
Me: Lookie here.
Wife: Wow – that was over 50 years ago.
Most of those are clearly made with a perspective correcting lens. Back in the day, it had to be done the hard way, but when the photographer is at street level and the building’s all squared up then they had to shift it. Those aren’t cheap, so got to sell sell sell.
Something strange happened to the copper colored 1960 Pontiac in last photo.
Looks muddy or rusted, and the rear is sagging like the springs & shocks are shot.
Yet, the Pontiac and white Olds 88 behind it, are the newest ones (1960) in sight.
The blue ’53 Buick looks way better.
So, how much river-mud & how many bodies are in that Catalina’s trunk?!
Always love these old postcards. The color makes it all look better than real life…really sets a mood.
The 2 VW Buses is a great shot. The closet one appears to be a ‘64 and the other an earlier Deluxe with the rear corner window.
There is a hotel in my town called Hotel Z, its all done in late ’60s and early ’70s decor and colours. The best part is the era correct hotel shuttles. They have an old VW van, a Corvair van and a Chevy Van, all from the era and imaculate, the even have an old Chev Kingswood wagon. I should take some pics sometime
Stayed there a few times. Didn’t use the Airstream Trailer Suite or try the Zedinator. But I took a picture,
Or 2
And the decor.
That pic of the Thunderbird Motel shows the oldest cars, from the early fifties. On the sign showing the performers is John Sebastian, who was the father of the John Sebastian of ‘The Lovin’ Spoonful’ and the theme to ‘Welcome Back Kotter’ who is still with us today! Wiki page of his father (a classical harmonica player) shown below.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Sebastian_(classical_harmonica_player)
Little America hotel sign mentions S&H green stamps.
My Mom would collect the stamps, redeem for a small appliance, and give it as a house warming or wedding gift.
Some newly weds ended up with 5 coffeemakers!!
I used to lick them and stick them in their books back in Bogota, NJ from the local A&P circa 1959-62.
I’ll take the yellow Nash Rambler, please!
I could stare at these postcards for hours. Nobody has yet caught the Studebaker R series pickup parked out front of the Half Moon Inn. This may be the first period on-the-street photo of a Stude pickup with whitewalls I have ever seen.
The Sea Dip was still around in the ’70s and ’80s, I stayed there sometimes as a high school and college student on weekend trips from my hometown of Orlando. Back then it didn’t seem to have been updated much in the 20 or so years since it was built. I now live on Florida’s other coast and not far from my home in St. Pete is our own Thunderbird on Treasure Island, which HAS undergone updates since opening in 1957 but thankfully the iconic mid-century sign remains original.
Color! That’s what I see. Lots and lots of color and no one concerned how it might appear “dated” in five or ten years. For the last twenty years its as though black, white, grey or beige are the only colors car makers are aware of. Anyway enough of that rant.
Being a huge architecture fan I do enjoy Googie but in the Midwest it was pretty much all wiped out by the mid 90’s. Once the hotel chains take hold its all about standardization to minimize costs. Great for the financials but boring as hell from an architectural perspective
Very nice .
I too love the Googie architecture, there’s still a fair bit of it around So. Cal. .
I too spotted the Studebaker pickup truck and the Renault Dauphine plus many others .
-Nate