Giant objects

[sumu]

[freddiefreelance]

The giant clown neon in front of Circus Liquor in NoHo.

[TwinJim]

Certainly C. Bell's Dinosaurs in Cabazon should be entered on your list if not already. There's an oversize concrete snake on the grounds which gets overlooked due to the two big guys, especially from the 10 Fwy.

[sumu]

Not really architecture in the purest sense - Hickory Park in Torrance still has a giant 60s rocket ship on their playground - must be about 25 feet high.

[nichols]

LOOK! You can buy this guy's art.. models of some of these buildings!

http://www.93950.com/3_d.htm

[nichols]

[nichols]

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/CABAKshoe.html

[deanna b]

[nichols]

Now Los Angeles also has a giant soccer ball!


FIELD HOUSE DEDICATED AT FERRARO SOCCER COMPLEX

In the spirit of the World Cup, Councilmember Tom LaBonge dedicated the field house at the Ferraro Soccer Field Complex in Griffith Park on Wednesday evening. Designed in the form of a giant soccer ball, the field house has an office for sports staff and restrooms.
"Since the day these fields were put in, we've needed this facility," said Councilmember Tom LaBonge. "The amount of use this complex gets is just extraordinary so we're very pleased to see a permanent structure here for both users and staff." The structure sometimes serves hundreds of players and their supporters on a daily basis.
The complex has nine fields and is one of the most heavily used in the city, accommodating both youth and adult leagues. On an average Saturday, the fields are in constant use from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Scheduled to play Wednesday night were the Red Star Youth Soccer Association and Red Machine/A.C. Milan Youth Soccer Association. The teams are comprised of boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 18.

[nichols]

I've been doing some research on the La Cana barrel restaurant in North Hollywood and could sure use some help. The original permit describes it as a "Cafe and Tap Room" so I figure it's not root beer they were serving... anybody have a matchbook or a story?

THANKS

[Gnomus]

[roadsidepictures]

How about a toothbrush!

[Futura Girl]

[quote="roadsidepictures"]How about a toothbrush![quote]
where's the toothbrush?!?

[roadsidepictures]

It's in Nampa, Idaho.

[Gnomus]

Roadside, you should get your brush together with a dentist here in LA -- he has the end of a giant tube over the door squeezing out toothpaste that forms the name of the company.

[Gnomus]

A few giant objects for you all:

The remains of the Brown Derby (1926) is the oldest surviving giant object I've seen in L.A. Anyone know of anything older?



The Tamale is a close second, built in 1928.



The Dark Room on Wilshire (1938).



Deschwanden's Shoe Repair in Bakersfield (1947).



The Parasol in Seal Beach (before being Mel-ized), 1967.



Brolly Hut in Inglewood, date built unknown.



Fleetwood Square, Tarzana, 1987. I believe this is modeled after a 1969 Cadillac Fleetwood.



Former Chinese Take-out Container. I can't remember what city this was in. Anybody?

[nichols]

Sushi Cruise in Claremont

http://www.lottaliving.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=567

[nichols]

[Gnomus]

Yo, Chris!

I was looking at some tiny photos of this place online. Can't tell if it's supposed to be a giant object or not. What do you know about it?

[nichols]

Well, it has an awning so it's kinda hard to make out, but yes! Most definitely, it's a lunchpail, a lunchbucket. I saw an ad for the original product and it's dead-on.
It sorta looks like this

[Gnomus]

Thanks, I'm going to try to get over there and shoot some photos.

[Gnomus]

Here you go:



I'm happy to report that they serve up a damn fine burger there. And you're right that the awning and side additions detract from the theme. I've been by this place before and never realized what it was. But it seems to be in very good shape. The interior was very nice. The builder put some nice details into it.

Also from today -- Cafe Jack, on Western, just north of Wilshire. Although being considerably smaller than the Titanic, it can hardly be dignified with the title "giant object." How about "puny object"?



A few older photos. Thanks to Chris for hipping me to the White Log Tavern and the Bucket. This probably is close to life size. On Hill St downtown, across from the Belasco Theater.



Another boat! The Shark Exhibit on the Redondo Beach pier.






edited out a few non-LA giant objects to keep in line with the OP: extant giant objects in LA county

[nichols]

I'm thinking we should work on the entire state of California, not just L.A. county.

[Gnomus]

Opening it up to extant giant objects in the sunny state, and still excluding signs.

Joe's Giant Orange Cafe - 3104 Cascade Blvd, Lake Shasta


Giant Artichoke Restaurant (1972) - 11261 Merritt St, Castroville


Rice Bowl Chinese Restaurant - 909 16th Street, Merced


United Equipment Bull Dozer Bldg - 600 W Glenwood Ave, Turlock


Tower Mart with UFO and Alien Infestation - 192 Lathrop Rd, Lathrop


Since the artichoke and Tower Mart are sort of "buildings incorporating decorations," then it's probably okay to repeat Fry's Electronics; each location used to include a theme.


Mammoth Orange Stand - 22150 Avenue 22 1/2, Chowchilla (apparently this is in storage while some construction work is done). Does anyone know if the giant oranges in Fontana, San Jose and Dixon still exist?

Wigwam Village Motel #7 - 2728 W Foothill Blvd, Rialto

And I seem to recall there being a coffee shop around Vista that had a large coffee pot on top or something similar (not Hot Cha in Long Beach).

Edit: Cup O Chino at 30158 Mission Rd in Bonsall.

[nichols]

Thanks a lot! These are great. I think the spaceships, though very cool, fall into the signage or applied decor category. I can't quite figure out what the Rice Bowl is supposed to be. A rice cup?

[Gnomus]

"I think the spaceships, though very cool, fall into the signage or applied decor category."

I thought they might fly (pun intended) because they're incorporated more into the structures than typical signs, and which is why I left out Alien Fresh Jerky -- it's decoration and nothing more. But I see what you mean. More of a purist approach.

"I can't quite figure out what the Rice Bowl is supposed to be. A rice cup?"

I think it's supposed to be a rice steamer.

By the way, Jim Heimann writes in California Crazy that The Bucket was one of a chain (pg 67).

[nichols]

Via Jim Heimann:

[Gnomus]

Chris, here's my argument for why things like Friar Tuck's castle and Tower Mart's crashed saucer should be included in this endeavor:

They're in the bible. Plain and simple, if Jim Heimann thought enough of White Castle and Coca-Cola Bottling, etc, to put them in "California Crazy," that's good enough for me.

Lovely shot of The Bucket, by the way.

[Gnomus]

From Friday's safari into the wilds of North Hollywood and along Ventura Blvd:



Anybody know what year this was built? I've seen 1935 and 1941 and...

And wouldn't you just love to see the inside of this place?

[nichols]

re: La Cana

Los Angeles magazine
September, 2008

Question:
What can you tell me about that barrel-shaped building on Vineland Avenue in the Valley?

Chris: Los Angeles was once dotted with whimsical programmatic architecture like this giant beer barrel, built in 1941 as a “café and tap room” called the Idle Hour. Dolores Fernandez arrived in Hollywood a few years later and gained fame as a flamenco dancer known as “La Gitana.” In 1970, she bought the restaurant and transformed the redwood structure into her flamenco showcase. She renamed it La Caña in honor of one of her trademark dances. The cabaret flourished for about 15 years until Fernandez, unable to dance after an accident, announced she had decided that no new performer could “meet her standards”—and the barrel went dark. When I told Fernandez that people loved making up spooky stories about the barrel’s demise, she snapped back, “It’s not mysterious! I got hit by a damn car!”

http://www.lamag.com/askChris/default.aspx?id=9402