The Space Needle, built for Seattle's World's Fair, 1962

Googie, also known as populuxe, is a form of architecture, originating from southern California in the late 1940s and continuing approximately into the mid-1960s. It was influenced by car culture and the Space Age. With upswept roofs and, often, curvaceous, geometric shapes, and bold use of glass, steel and neon, it decorated many a motel, coffee house and bowling alley in the 1950s and 1960s. It epitomises the spirit a generation demanded, looking excitedly towards a bright, technological and futuristic age. As it became clear that the future would not look like The Jetsons, the style came to be timeless rather than futuristic. As with the art deco style of the 1930s, it has remained undervalued until many of its finest examples have been destroyed. Download high resolution version (1466x1800, 1689 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (1466x1800, 1689 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Architecture (in Greek αρχή = first and τέχνη = craftsmanship) is the art and science of designing buildings and structures. ... Southern California Los Angeles, rush hour on the Harbor Freeway San Diego Southern California, sometimes abbreviated SoCal, is an informal name for the southern one-third of the state of California. ... // Events and trends The 1940s were dominated by World War II, the most destructive armed conflict in history. ... The 1960s, or The Sixties, in its most obvious sense refers to the decade between 1960 and 1969, but the expression has taken on a wider meaning over the past twenty years. ... A small variety of cars, the most popular kind of automobile. ... The first rocket to reach space was the German V2 rocket launched during the latter stages of WWII. The Space Age began on October 4, 1957 with the launch of Sputnik 1. ... Geometry (from the Greek words Ge = earth and metro = measure) is the branch of mathematics first introduced by Theaetetus dealing with spatial relationships. ... The materials definition of a glass is a uniform amorphous solid material, usually produced when a suitably viscous molten material cools very rapidly, thereby not giving enough time for a regular crystal lattice to form. ... Steel is a metal alloy whose major component is iron, with carbon being the primary alloying material. ... General Name, Symbol, Number neon, Ne, 10 Chemical series noble gases Group, Period, Block 18, 2, p Appearance colorless Atomic mass 20. ... The word motel originates from the Motel Inn of San Luis Obispo, first built in 1925 by Arthur Heinman. ... A Street Cafe, Jerusalem, Henry Fenn (1838- ): steel engraving in Picturesque Palestine, ca 1875 A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or caf shares some of the characteristics of a bar, and some of the characteristics of a restaurant. ... Bowling is the common name for several sports that involve rolling a ball towards a target or to knock down pins. ... Millennia: 1st millennium - 2nd millennium - 3rd millennium // Events and trends The 1950s in Western society was marked with a sharp rise in the economy for the first time in almost 30 years and return to the 1920s-type consumer society built on credit and boom-times, as well as the... Technology (Gr. ... For the meaning in finance, see futures contract. ... The Jetsons was an animated prime-time television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions from 1962 to 1963. ... Asheville City Hall. ... // Events and trends The 1930s were spent struggling for a solution to the global depression. ...

America's preoccupation with space travel had a significant influence on the unique style of Googie architecture. Speculation about space travel had roots going as far back as 1920s science fiction. In the 1950s, space travel became a reality for the first time in history. In 1957, America's preoccupation grew into an obsession, when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik I, the first human-made satellite to "break the surly bonds" of the Earth's atmosphere and "rise unshackled to the dark serene". The obsession intensified into a near mania when the Soviet Union launched Vostok 1 carrying the first human, Yuri Gagarin, into Earth orbit in 1961. The Eisenhower and Kennedy Administrations made competing with the Soviets for dominance in space a national priority of considerably urgency and importance. This marked the beginning of "The Space Race". Sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or primarily in North America as the Roaring Twenties. // Events and trends Technology John T. Thompson invents Thompson submachine gun, also known as Tommy gun John Logie Baird invents the first working television system (1925) Charles Lindbergh becomes the first person to fly... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Space exploration is the physical exploration of outer-Earth objects and generally anything that involves the technologies, science, and politics regarding space endeavors. ... 1957 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sputnik 1 was the first artificial satellite to be launched into orbit, on October 4, 1957. ... Atmosphere may refer to: a celestial body atmosphere, e. ... Vostok 1 was the first manned space mission. ... Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin (Russian: Юрий Алексеевич Гагарин; YOO-ree a-lek-SE-ye-veech ga-GA-reen; March 9, 1934 – March 27, 1968), was a Soviet cosmonaut who in 1961 became the first human to travel into space. ... 1961 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Dwight David Ike Eisenhower (October 14, 1890–March 28, 1969), American soldier and politician, was the 34th President of the United States (1953–1961) and supreme commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II, with the rank of General of the Army. ... Order: 35th President Vice President: Lyndon B. Johnson Term of office: January 20, 1961 – November 22, 1963 Preceded by: Dwight D. Eisenhower Succeeded by: Lyndon B. Johnson Date of birth: May 29, 1917 Place of birth: Brookline, Massachusetts Date of death: November 22, 1963 Place of death: Dallas, Texas First... ...

1958 Buick

With space travel such an important part of the national zeitgeist, architects decided that they wanted to give people a little taste of the future in the here and now. Googie style signs usually have something with sharp and bold angles, which suggest the aerodynamic features of a rocket ship (ilustration. left). Also, at the time, the unique architecture was a form of architectural braggadocio, as rockets were technological novelties at the time. Perhaps the most famous example of Googie's legacy is the Space Needle in Seattle, Washington (illustration, above right). A revealing comparison can be made between the Space Needle and the non-Googie Osaka Tower of 1956. 1958 Buick Limited qualifies for Public Domain release having received permission to use the image for the purpose of illustrating features of the Buick Limited from Kris Trexler. ... 1958 Buick Limited qualifies for Public Domain release having received permission to use the image for the purpose of illustrating features of the Buick Limited from Kris Trexler. ... Ariane 5 lifts off with the Rosetta probe on 2nd of March, 2004. ... A Redstone rocket, part of the Mercury program A rocket is a vehicle, missile or aircraft which obtains thrust by the reaction to the ejection of fast moving exhaust gas from within a rocket engine. ... The Space Needle is the Pacific Northwests most recognizable landmark and is the symbol of Seattle, Washington. ... Seattle skyline City nickname: The Emerald City Location of Seattle in King County and Washington State County King Mayor Greg Nickels (NP) Area   â€“Land   â€“Water 369. ... Osaka Tower (通天閣 Tsūtenkaku, or Tower Reaching Heaven) is a well-known landmark of Osaka, Japan. ... 1956 was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Googie heavily influenced retro-futurism. The somewhat cartoonish style is appropriately exemplified in the Jetsons cartoons; the original Disneyland in Anaheim, California featured a Googie Tomorrowland. Three classic locations for Googie were Miami Beach, Florida, where secondary commercial structures took hints from the resort Baroque of Morris Lapidus and other hotel designers, the first phase of Las Vegas, Nevada, and Southern California, where Richard Neutra built a drive-in church in Garden Grove. An example in Shanghai of a retro-futuristic design in architecture Retro-futurism describes the return to the fanciful depictions of the future produced many years ago called futurology. ... A cartoon is any of several forms of art, with varied meanings that evolved from one to another. ... The Jetsons - Clockwise: Rosie, George, Jane, Judy, Elroy, and Astro The Jetsons was an animated prime-time television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions from 1962 to 1963. ... Disneyland[1] is a theme park at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. ... This temporary page is being used to expand and convert the article Anaheim, California over to the new format agreed to at WikiProject Cities. ... Miami Beach is a city located in Miami-Dade County, Florida. ... Morris Lapidus (Odessa, Russia, November 25, 1902. ... A hotel is an establishment that provides lodging, usually on a short-term basis. ... Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign just to the south of the Las Vegas Strip welcoming visitors to the city City nickname: The Entertainment Capital of the World Location of Las Vegas in Nevada County Clark Mayor Oscar B. Goodman Area   â€“Land   â€“Water 293. ... Kaufman House, Palm Springs, California. ... Drive-in, a facility such as a bank, restaurant, theatre or even a church where one can literally drive in with an automobile for service. ... A church building is a building used in Christian worship. ... Garden Grove, is a city centrally located in northern Orange County, California. ...

Classic Googie style in this sign from a 1950's era coffee chain in Los Angeles

Eye-catching Googie style flourished in a carnival atmosphere along multi-lane highways, in motel architecture and above all in signage. Private clients were the backbone of Googie, though the Seattle Space Needle qualifies as Establishment Googie. A photo of an old coffee shop sign dating back to the 1950s. ... A photo of an old coffee shop sign dating back to the 1950s. ... Swabian-Alemannic carnival clowns in Wolfach, Germany A carnival parade is a public celebration, combining some elements of a circus and public street party, generally during the Carnival Season. ... Mitchell Freeway in Perth, Western Australia For other uses, see Highway (disambiguation). ... The word motel originates from the Motel Inn of San Luis Obispo, first built in 1925 by Arthur Heinman. ... Sign can denote any of the following: Within a writing system, a sign is a basic unit. ...

Cantilevered structures, acute angles, illuminated plastic panelling, freeform boomerang and artist's palette shapes and cutouts, and tailfins on buildings marked Googie architecture, which was beneath contempt to the architects of Modernism, but found defenders in the post-Modern climate at the end of the 20th century. The common elements that generally distiguish Googie from other forms of architecture are: A typical wooden returning boomerang A boomerang is a curved, usually wooden, device which is thrown. ... Le Corbusiers Villa Savoye, 1929-30: The modern style is noted for its rigorous geometrical forms. ... Postmodernism (sometimes abbreviated pomo) is a term applied to a wide-ranging set of developments in critical theory, philosophy, architecture, art, literature, and culture, which are generally characterized as either emerging from, in reaction to, or superseding, modernism. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the...

Roofs sloping at an upward angle - This is the one particular element in which architects were really showing off, and also creating a unique structure. Many roofs of Googie style coffee shops, and other structures, have a roof that appear to be 2/3 of an inverted obstuse triangle. A great example of this is the famous, but now closed, Johnnie's Coffee Shop on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles.
Starbursts - Starbursts are an ornament that goes hand in hand with the Googie style, showing its Space Age and whimsical influences. Perhaps the most notable example of the starburst appears on the "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign, which has now become somewhat famous.

Architecture professor Douglas Haskel (mentioned below) perhaps described the Googie style best saying that "If it looks like a bird, it must be a geometric bird." Also, the buildings must appear in some cases to defy gravity, as Haskel noted that "whenever possible, the building must hang from the sky." Also, Googie is not a style noted for its subtlty, as inclusion, rather than minimalism, is one of the central features.

The Lava lamp, first marketed in 1965, was initially named the "Astro Lamp"

The origin of the name "Googie" is a matter of some speculation amongst enthusiasts. According to author Alan Hess in his book "Googie: Fifties Coffee Shop Architecture", he claims that Googie goes back to the late 1940s, when architect John Lautner designed several coffee shops, one by the name of "Googie's", which all had the very distinctive architectural characteristics. This coffee shop was on the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Crescent Heights in Los Angeles, but has long since been demolished. According to Hess, the name "Googie" stuck as a rubric for the architectural style when Professor Douglass Haskell of Yale and architectural photographer Julius Shulman were driving through Los Angeles on day. Haskell insisted on stopping the car upon seeing "Googie's", and proclaimed "This is Googie architecture". He made the name stick after an article he wrote appeared in a 1952 edition of House and Home magazine. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (555x1878, 33 KB)A picture of a lava lamp. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (555x1878, 33 KB)A picture of a lava lamp. ... A lava lamp A lava lamp is a kind of lamp typically used more for decoration than illumination, in which the gentle flow of randomly-shaped clumps of wax suggests the flowing of lava. ... // Events and trends The 1940s were dominated by World War II, the most destructive armed conflict in history. ... John Lautner (16 July 1911 – 24 October 1994), influential American architect whose work in Southern California combines progressive engineering with humane design and dramatic space-age flair. ... Sunset Boulevard is a street in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, that stretches from Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Coast Highway at the Pacific Ocean in the Pacific Palisades. ... This article is about the largest city in California. ... 1952 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

To some, the name Googie has been associated with an architectural style considered to be an aesthetic abomination. To others though, the Googie style shows how whimsical humor and enthusiasm about the future can be cleverly translated into architectural style, and brings back good memories of a now bygone era. Ulitmately, the style fell out of favor and, over time, numerous examples of Googie style have either fallen into disrepair or been destroyed completely, usually being replaced with buildings that are functional but lack the kitschy charm of Googie. Architectural style constitutes a mode of classifying architecture largely by morphological characteristics in terms of form, techniques, materials, etc. ...

External links

• Googie Architecture Online
• Roadside Peek: Googie Central
• Category at ODP