NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Googie architecture

Googie, also known as populuxe or doo-wop, is a subdivision of expressionist, or futurist architecture influenced by car culture and the Space Age and Atomic Age, originating from southern California in the late 1940s and continuing approximately into the mid-1960s. 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 epitomizes the spirit a generation demanded, looking excitedly towards a bright, technological and futuristic age. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 642 Ã— 600 pixelsFull resolution (2860 Ã— 2672 pixel, file size: 704 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Space Needle Googie architecture Wikipedia:Featured... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 642 Ã— 600 pixelsFull resolution (2860 Ã— 2672 pixel, file size: 704 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Space Needle Googie architecture Wikipedia:Featured... Space Needle from Downtown Seattle. ... City nickname Emerald City City bird Great Blue Heron City flower Dahlia City mottos The City of Flowers The City of Goodwill City song Seattle, the Peerless City Mayor Greg Nickels County King County Area - Total - Land - Water - % water 369. ... The Space Needle, built for the Century 21 Exposition. ... Google, Inc. ... On White II by Wassily Kandinsky, 1923. ... Perspective drawing from La Citta Nuova, 1914, by Antonia SantElia. ... Karl Benzs Velo (vÃ©lo means bicycle in French) model (1894) - entered into the first automobile race 2005 MINI Cooper S. An automobile (also motor car or simply car) is a wheeled passenger vehicle that carries its own motor. ... The Space Shuttle takes off on a manned mission to space. ... The Atomic Age was a phrase used for a time in the 1950s in which it was believed that all power sources in the future would be atomic in nature. ... For the urban complex straddling the United States-Mexico border, see Bajalta California. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... Geometry (from the Greek words Ge = earth and metro = measure) is the branch of mathematics first introduced by Theaetetus dealing with spatial relationships. ... Glass can be made transparent and flat, or into other shapes and colors as shown in this sphere from the Verrerie of Brehat in Brittany. ... The steel cable of a colliery winding tower. ... General Name, Symbol, Number neon, Ne, 10 Chemical series noble gases Group, Period, Block 18, 2, p Appearance colorless Standard atomic weight 20. ... Holiday Inn Great Sign Exterior of a Howard Johnsons motor lodge. ... 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. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... Technology (Gr. ... For the meaning in finance, see futures contract. ...

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 remained undervalued until many of its finest examples had been destroyed. The style is related to and sometimes synonymous with the Raygun Gothic style as coined by writer William Gibson. The Jetsons was a prime-time American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, and aired on Sunday nights on ABC from September 23, 1962 to March 3, 1963. ... Asheville City Hall. ... The 1930s (years from 1930â€“1939) were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression, also known in Europe as the World Depression. ... Definition A catchall term for various facets of the googie, Streamline Moderne and Art Deco architectural styles. ... William Ford Gibson (born March 17, 1948, Conway, South Carolina) is an American-born science fiction author resident in Canada since 1968. ...

"Googie"

According to author Alan Hess in his book "Googie: Fifties Coffee Shop Architecture", the origin of the name "Googie" goes back to 1949, when architect John Lautner designed a coffee shop by the name of "Googie's", which had very distinctive architectural characteristics. This coffee shop was on the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Crescent Heights in Los Angeles, but was demolished in the 1980s. 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 one 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. 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... 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 (officially known as West Sunset Boulevard, except in Beverly Hills) 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. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area City 1,290. ... Douglass Putnam Haskell (1899-August 11, 1979) was an American writer, architecture critic and magazine editor. ... This image by Barbara Alfors shows the Kaufman House in Palm Springs, California. ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

History

The identity of the first architect to practice in the style is often disputed, though Wayne McAllister is usually given credit for kick-starting the style with his 1949 Bob's Big Boy restaurant in Toluca Lake. Along with McAllister, the most prolific Googie architects were John Lautner, Douglas Honnold and the team of Louis Armet and Eldon Davis. Also instrumental in developing the style was designer Helen Liu Fong, a key member of the firm of Armet and Davis. Joining the firm in 1951, she created such iconic Googie interiors as those of the Johnie's Coffee Shop on Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue, the first Norm's Restaurant on Figueroa Street, and the Holiday Bowl on Crenshaw Boulevard. Wayne McAllister (1907-2000) was a Los Angeles-based architect who was a leader in the Googie style of architecture that embraced the automobile. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... Bobs Big Boy mascot sign. ... Toluca Lake is a small lake in the San Fernando Valley that crosses the boundary between the Toluca Lake community of Los Angeles, California and the city of Burbank. ... 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. ...

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 considerable urgency and importance. This marked the beginning of "The Space Race". The 1920s is a decade that is sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties, usually applied to America. ... 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 (MCMLVII) 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. ... Layers of Atmosphere - not to scale (NOAA)[2] Earths atmosphere is a layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth and retained by the Earths gravity. ... Vostok 1 was the first manned space mission. ... Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin (Russian: , Jurij AleksejeviÄ Gagarin; 9 March 1934 â€“ 27 March 1968), Hero of the Soviet Union, was a Soviet cosmonaut who on 12 April 1961 became the first person in space and the first person to orbit the Earth. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 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. ... This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. ... ...

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 (illustration. 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 1966. Ariane 5 lifts off with the Rosetta probe on 2nd of March, 2004. ... A Soyuz rocket, at Baikanur launch pad. ... Space Needle from Downtown Seattle. ... Nickname: Location of Seattle in King County and Washington Coordinates: Country United States State Washington County King County Incorporated December 2 1869 Government - Type Mayor-council - Mayor Greg Nickels (NP) Area - City 142. ... This article lacks information on the importance of the subject matter. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ...

Influence

Googie heavily influenced retro-futurism. The somewhat cartoonish style is appropriately exemplified in the Jetsons cartoons, and the original Disneyland in Anaheim, California featured a Googie Tomorrowland (much of Tomorrowland still features Googie architecture, such as the Tomorrowland Terrace, Pizza Port, and Disneyland Railroad station). 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. Buck Rogers, an icon of the future, first appeared in August 1928 in this magazine (image is not of Rogers). ... A cartoon is any of several forms of illustrations with varied meanings that evolved from its original meaning. ... 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. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Location of Anaheim within Orange County, California Coordinates: Country United States State California County Orange Government - Mayor Curt Pringle Area - City 50. ... Location in Miami-Dade and the state of Florida. ... Morris Lapidus (November 25, 1902, Odessa, Ukraine - January 18, 2001, Miami Beach, Florida) was the architect of curvy, flamboyant Neo-baroque moderne hotels that defined the 1950s Miami Beach resort hotel style. ... Dariush Grand Hotel,Kish island, Iran The 4-star Manor House Hotel at Castle Combe, Wiltshire, England. ... For other uses around the city, see Las Vegas metropolitan area and Las Vegas Strip. ... 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. ... St. ... Country United States State California County Orange Government - Mayor William Dalton Area - City 18 sq mi (46. ...

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". Carnival or Carnivale is an annual Christian festival season. ... Highway in Pennsylvania, USA The Pan-American Highway, in the Peruvian town of MÃ¡ncora, where it serves as the main street. ... Holiday Inn Great Sign Exterior of a Howard Johnsons motor lodge. ... Multiple logos on the Virgin Megastore in San Francisco, California . Los Angeles famous Hollywood sign, now a symbol the entertainment industry, originally said Hollywoodland, and advertised a real estate development. ...

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. Ultimately, 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 is a way of classifying architecture largely by morphological characteristics - in terms of form, techniques, materials, etc. ...

Characteristics

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 distinguish Googie from other forms of architecture are: This article is about the wooden implement. ... For Modernism in an American context, see American modernism. ... 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...

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 obtuse 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. This image (C) User:Pcb21, 2003. ... This image (C) User:Pcb21, 2003. ... The sign, just to the south of the Las Vegas Strip, welcoming visitors to the city. ... LAX This work is copyrighted. ... LAX This work is copyrighted. ... Runway layout at LAX Los Angeles International Airport (IATA: LAX, ICAO: KLAX), is the primary airport serving Los Angeles, California. ... The sign, just to the south of the Las Vegas Strip, welcoming visitors to the city. ...

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 subtlety, as inclusion, rather than minimalism, is one of the central features.

The most famous Googie building may be the Theme Building at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) designed by James Langenheim of Pereira & Luckman and built in 1961. Runway layout at LAX â€œLAXâ€ redirects here. ... Transamerica Pyramid, San Francisco, 1972 William Pereira (April 25, 1909 â€“ November 13, 1985) was an American architect from Chicago Illinois, of Portuguese ancestry[1] who was noted for his futuristic designs of landmark buildings such as the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco. ... Charles Luckman (1909 Kansas Cityâ€“January 26, 1999 Los Angeles) was a businessman and an American architect, famous as the Boy Wonder of American Business when he was named president of the Pepsodent toothpaste company in 1939 at the age of thirty. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ...

One of the last remaining and largest Googie-styled drive-in restaurants, Johnie's Broiler in Downey, California, was partially demolished in 2007. There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... HI!! Location of Downey in California and Los Angeles County Coordinates: Country United States State California County Los Angeles Founded 1800s Incorporated 1956 Government Type Council-Manager government - City Council David R. Gafin Meredith H. Perkins (mayor) Rick Trejo Anne Marie Bayer Kirk Cartozian Area - City 12. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini era. ...

Contents

"Googie"

History

Influence

Characteristics

Further reading

See also

External links

Contents

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History

Influence

Characteristics

Further reading

See also

External links

"Googie"