Googie Coffee Shops

[David1064]

Hello there,
Well, this is my first real post since introducing myself on the "new members" thread....anyway I'm a newbie so forgive my naivete. I'm going to be in LA for a weekend and my fellow Googie enthusiast friend and I want to visit a coffee shop. After surfing around, Pann's sounds like one of the last great spots. Also I noticed Bob's Big Boy in Toluca Lake. We don't have a lot of time, so will probably need to go to one or the other. Help! Thanks, David

[sumu]

LA is a big place. However, if you find yourself in the Torrance area, there's several googies. One of my faves is Hot N Tot (the name alone inspires love), on PCH. Norms is always good for a laugh, and there are plenty around.

A really great modern mid century is a mexican restaurant, of all things, Arturos in Lomita. A really nice building, not googie, but cool none the less.

[Phillip]

http://www.roadsidepeek.com has pictures of a lot of googie coffee shops.

[L.A.kevin]

Bob's Big Boy in Toluca Lake is a great spot for Friday night if you can make it. They have a cruise night there every Friday- cool car culture stuff.

[SkipHome]

[Futura Girl]

[David1064]

[Joe]

[retrocool]

The oldest original Mc Donald's is a great place to go. It even has a museum with a lot of pictures and stuff.
Located at the corner of Lakewood and Florence in Downey.

Have a good one
Retrocool

[nichols]

OK, OK
I'll give you the list.
Here goes:

GOOGIE COFFEE SHOPS

Donly's (Now Astro)
2300 Fletcher Dr,  Los Angeles, CA 90039
323 663-9241  
1958, Armet & Davis

Chip's
11908 Hawthorne Blvd,  Hawthorne, CA 90250
310 679-2947  
1957, Harry Harrison

Sherri's (Now Farmers)
115 S La Brea Ave,  Inglewood, CA 90301
310 672-8383  
1957, Martin Stern

Norms
470 North La Cienega Blvd. 
West Hollywood, CA 90048
323 655-0167 
1957, Armet & Davis

Pann's
6710 La Tijera Blvd,  Los Angeles, CA 90045
323 776-3770  
1958, Armet & Davis

The Parasol 
12241 Seal Beach Blvd., Seal Beach, CA
562-598-3311
1967, Mayer & Kanner

Rod's
41 W. Huntington Dr.
Arcadia CA 91007 Phone:
(626)447-7515.

Norms
Slauson and Malabar
Huntington Park
1957, Armet & Davis
>
>
>
Aberrations:

World's Oldest McDonald's
10207 Lakewood @ Florence
Downey, CA
1953, Stanley C. Meston
562.622.9248
(Technically not a coffee shop, but shares similar DNA)

Bob's
4211 W. Riverside Dr ., Burbank, CA 91505
818 843-9334
1949, Wayne McAllister
(Architecturally closer to "Late Moderne" style, but socially and culturally closer to a Googie style coffee shop)

Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream
13424 Crenshaw Blvd,  Gardena, CA 90249
310 515-9594  
(One of the earliest outlets -- wild Googie style -- but an Ice Cream shop.)

> + the mostly changed or closed...
>
> Kerry's (Now Mel's)
> Encino, CA
> 1953, Armet & Davis
>
> Wich Stand (now Simply Wholesome)
> 4508 W Slauson Ave,  Los Angeles, CA 90043
> 323 294-2144  
> 1958, Armet & Davis

> Ben Frank's (Now Mel's)
> West Hollywood
> 1962, Lane & Schlick
>
> Harvey's Broiler (Now Car Outlet)
> Downey, CA
> 1958, Paul Clayton
>
> Romeo's Times Square (now Johnie's - closed)
> Miracle Mile
> 1955, Armet & Davis
>
> Ships (now Starbucks)
> Culver City, CA
> 1957, Martin Stern, Jr.
>
> Tiny Naylor's (now closed -soon to be "Chalet" )
> 14 La Cienega Blvd.
> Beverly Hills, CA
> 1957, Armet & Davis
>
> Denny's
> 8601 BELLANCA AVE
> LOS ANGELES, CA 90045
> (323) 776-4888 
> c. 1955, Armet & Davis
>

[modfan]

In the 'Surroundings' section. Used to be Romeo's Times Square.
I'll leave it to others if they want to block and copy or link the article here.

[freddiefreelance]

[modfan]

Pann's. I treated my brothers' bd party for lunch. Lotsa 'comfort' food in generous proportions. Interior looks in pretty good shape, altho he remarked that the restrooms were kinda small-hey this was 1958 before you needed handicapped access. The blue and green molded modern seats on the patio are cool. Anyone know the story behind the plastic resin screen with the mod art with calif. and mass. on it-it's situated in the lobby as you enter-we were all trying to decipher....

[nichols]

Aah.. The Pann's resin art. Created by Hans and Betsy Werner for George and Rena Poulos in 1958. It tells the story of George's migration from Greece to America, his marriage to Rena, the birth of their two children (look for the pink and blue footprints) Son Jim operates the business today... and the miniature aluminum fighter planes that represent his time in the service over Italy... Notice the "A&D" Armet & Davis logo in the Southern California section...It's a real gem and you should definitely have Rena Poulos herself explain it to you next time you're in.. She is there almost every day. Perfection!

[Joe]

speaking of A&D, I ate in an old Denny's this past weekend up in Bellingham, Wash. The building was a smaller version than the popular shed roof style. Denny's sold the building to another restaurant. Unlike most Denny's interiors which have been badly remodeled inside, this one retained many of its original interior details, except for the seating fabric and pendant lights. The rock walls were still unpainted!

Unfortunately, the zig-zag planting bed on the out side was filled in with concrete.

In Eugene, Ore., the A&D Denny's (Denny's is still owner) has been restored on the exterior, original color scheme and planting bed! The interior, though, still has the icky 80s mauve and teal floral print everywhere. In the lobby, they have an A&D architectural rendering, framed, on the wall!

Oh man, all this talk, I need some pancakes and bacon!

[nichols]

I just drove thru Eugene last week (Shoulda pulled off the freeway!) Wish I could have seen that. However, most Denny's now have a contemporary painting of an idyllic scene with a slick parking lot and shiny '50s cars in front of an A&D Denny's (boomerang roof) prototype store. I think these went in for the 50th anniversary last year. They are usually hidden by the coin-op claw machines.
Anyway... do you think this is what you saw or was it a real vintage rendering?

[Joe]

No, it's the scene you mention. I examined it and saw no sigature. No mention of A&D. It's the same A&D rendering sold on the googie art site. Still, the owners took it upon themselves to paint there exterior like the illustration. Now if they would return to the tar & gravel roof and work on the interior! They pancakes are pretty good, though!

Driving through Eugene?

[nichols]

This is the only 'boomerang' roof rendering I found on the googie art site:
http://googieart.com/Dennys.htm
and it's not the one they used to celebrate the 50th anniversary last year.

The new one is really soft - looks like a watercolor- and they got all the details wrong. I don't have a copy in front of me, but I think the roof finish is wrong, the sign is wrong, there are thick columns supporting the glass wall (very un-Armet&Davis) etc.

Hmm..

I was in Oregon interviewing the family of architect Wayne McAllister for a book I am working on. Enjoyed the trip - it was my first time there. I think Omar's restaurant in Ashland was my favorite stop.

[Joe]

OK, I solved the image mix-up. It is a Denny's promo and not an A&D rendering. I was inncorect about it being on the googie art site. I must have saw it somewhere else. You're right about the thick columns in the promotional illustration. Wonder why they did that?

[ChrisLAXEncounter]

[nichols]

Ships Westwood
1958-1984


(LAT/UCLA)

[ChrisLAXEncounter]

Nice photo, Nichols.
There is an enormous office building there now.
The high cost of development and land owner's rights.

[nichols]

Re: Ship's Coffee Shop
(Via flickr)
"The attitude at this coffee shop was running a bit too haughty for me, but I did like the style of the place. Looks like they copied the lettering of one of LA's Ships coffee shops."

http://flickr.com/photos/79761301@N00/2184203589/

[ChrisLAXEncounter]

Should this thread be a permanent stickie?

[davidk6]

[nichols]

Check out this rare image from the Sunset Googies at the end of this clip from "You Asked For It"
NeatO



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWxzftnY ... r_embedded

[Gnomus]

[SFG]

I found this old postcard at the Long Beach Flea Market today and according to this L.A. Times article, it was demolished in '85.

http://articles.latimes.com/1985-02-04/ ... offee-shop

The back of the postcard reads "An Ultra Modern place of good food. Located at 11925 Santa Monica Blvd (U.S. Highway 66) in West Los Angeles. Two blocks east of Bundy or three blocks south of Wilshire Blvd. at Brockton. Our motto will always be: Service, Quality, Cleanliness; A.Pickens"

Any other good Pick's info or memories to share? Anyone know what year it was built?

[Gnomus]

Re: Picks. Nice find. Googie Redux doesn't list this coffee shop. The sign greatly resembles Sherri's/Farmer's/G.G.'s on La Brea in Inglewood.

[nichols]

Since somebody recently asked about this and linked to here, I'll update my 2004 list below. Thankfully it is mostly unchanged.

GOOGIE COFFEE SHOPS

Donly's (Now Astro)
2300 Fletcher Dr. Los Angeles, CA 90039
323 663-9241
1958, Armet & Davis

Chip's
11908 Hawthorne Blvd, Hawthorne, CA 90250
310 679-2947
1957, Harry Harrison

Sherri's (Now Cafetales)
115 S La Brea Ave., Inglewood, CA 90301
310 672-8383Â Â
1957, Martin Stern

Norms
470 North La Cienega Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90048
323 655-0167
1957, Armet & Davis

Pann's
6710 La Tijera Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045
323 776-3770
1958, Armet & Davis

The Parasol (remodeled as Panera Bread)
12241 Seal Beach Blvd., Seal Beach, CA
562-598-3311
1967, Mayer & Kanner

Rod's
41 W. Huntington Dr.
Arcadia CA 91007 Phone:
(626)447-7515.

Norms
Slauson and Malabar
Huntington Park
1957, Armet & Davis

>
>
>
Aberrations:

World's Oldest McDonald's
10207 Lakewood @ Florence
Downey, CA
1953, Stanley C. Meston
562.622.9248
(Technically not a coffee shop, but shares similar DNA)

Bob's
4211 W. Riverside Dr ., Burbank, CA 91505
818 843-9334
1949, Wayne McAllister
(Architecturally closer to "Late Moderne" style, but socially and culturally closer to a Googie style coffee shop)

Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream
13424 Crenshaw Blvd, Gardena, CA 90249
310 515-9594
(One of the earliest outlets -- wild Googie style -- but an Ice Cream shop.)

> + the mostly changed or closed...
>
> Kerry's (Now Mel's)
> Encino, CA
> 1953, Armet & Davis
>
> Wich Stand (now Simply Wholesome)
> 4508 W Slauson Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90043
> 323 294-2144
> 1958, Armet & Davis

> Ben Frank's (Now Mel's)
> West Hollywood
> 1962, Lane & Schlick
>
> Harvey's Broiler (Rebuilt as Bob's Big Boy Broiler 2010)
> Downey, CA
> 1958, Paul Clayton
>
> Romeo's Times Square (now Johnie's - closed)
> Miracle Mile
> 1955, Armet & Davis
>
> Ships (now Starbucks)
> Culver City, CA
> 1957, Martin Stern, Jr.
>
> Tiny Naylor's (now La Seine )
> 14 La Cienega Blvd.
> Beverly Hills, CA
> 1957, Armet & Davis
>
> Denny's
> 8601 BELLANCA AVE
> LOS ANGELES, CA 90045
> (323) 776-4888
> 1959, Armet & Davis
>

Here are TEN more wonderful places to explore:

Corky's
5043 Van Nuys Boulevard
Sherman Oaks, CA
1958, Armet & Davis

Covina Bowl (restaurant closed)
1060 San Bernardino Road
Covina, CA
1956, Powers, Daly and DeRosa

Pink Motel and Cafe (closed, filming location)
9457 San Fernando Road
Sun Valley, CA

Taco Paco (Now El Loco)
437 South Glendora Avenue
West Covina, CA

Foxy's
206 West Colorado Street
Glendale, CA

Foxy's (Now Downey Brewing Company)
10924 Paramount Blvd
Downey, CA 90241

Frank's
916 West Olive Avenue
Burbank, CA

Mission Family Restaurant
888 West Mission Boulevard
Pomona, CA 91766

Johnie's Pastrami
4017 Sepulveda Boulevard
Culver City, CA

LAX Theme Building (Now Encounter)
1 World Way
Los Angeles, CA