Las Vegas Googie

Here is a video that shows the abundance of Googie architecture in Las Vegas.  I make no secret that I am a fan of Googie.  Ever since I first watched The Jetson's, I have been nostalgic for the future we never had.

Googie, as well as Populuxe, architecture began in the Los Angeles area in the late 1940s.  The name originated from John Lautner's Googie's Coffee Shop design in LA.  The style represented an outlandish but futuristic style of architecture that occasionally incorporated Polynesian or Tiki themes as well. Space travel and atomic energy were key design motifs of the period and were featured most often.




Googie architecture spread across the United States in all types of structures from bowling alleys and car dealerships to restaurants and gas stations.  Unfortunately, Googie architecture is looked down upon by many as being considered gauche.  Quite often these buildings are demolished or are in decrepit condition.  Fortunately, many local and national preservation groups are working to preserve some of the more historic examples.

John Lautner: Modern Visionary

Today is as good a day to discuss John Lautner as any other day, especially since this is his birthday. Unfortunately, John Lautner passed away in 1994; however, many of his architectural works of art live on for all to enjoy. Originally from Michigan, John Lautner became an apprentice of Frank Lloyd Wright at Taliesin in 1934. As a consequence, much of his earlier work was influenced by Wright. Later, Lautner developed his own unique style of architecture. Lautner moved to Southern California in 1940 to work on a few of Wright's projects. Later he decided to stay and set up his own practice.

His homes have such a unique design and appearance that many have been used on television and in movies such as: the Malin Residence or Chemosphere (Body Double, a similar style in Charlie's Angels (2000), and Current TV's set design), the Elrod Residence (Diamonds are Forever as Willard Whyte's Las Vegas home), the Sheats-Goldstein Residence (The Big Lebowski), the Garcia Residence (Lethal Weapon), and the Reiner Residence also known as Silvertop (Less Than Zero)

He is also known for Googie's Coffee Shop, which gave rise to the Googie style of architecture that epitomizes the futuristic look of space travel (some argue that the Chemosphere was the inspiration for The Jetsons). The Arango Residence situated overlooking Acapulco, Mexico is perhaps his most celebrated design.

For those of you desiring to learn more about John Lautner please see Infinite Space: The Architecture of John Lautner on DVD (2009 the Googie Company), and Lautner by Barbara-Ann Campbell-Lange (Taschen 2005).

 

Chris Nichols: The Googieman

As I've already mentioned, I have a curious fascination with Googie-themed architecture and motifs.  A short film titled, "Chris Nichols: Googieman" has been around now for some years.  Nonetheless, I always enjoy watching it over and over.  I admire Chris Nichols and his preservation efforts.  Sadly, many of these offbeat architectural gems are vanishing as  they are demolished in favor of newer (and mostly bland) structures.  I believe preservation is important! 



The film shows a few of southern California's celebrated landmarks such as, Pann's Coffee Shop, Covina Bowl, and (my favorite) John Lautner's often imitated Chemosphere.  Please enjoy, and then get involved with a local preservation group!

Googie

Long before I knew anything about modern architecture or what it was called, I can remember noticing strange, yet wondrously designed buildings around my town. These buildings, whether hotels, bowling alleys, coffee shops, dry cleaners, gas stations, etcetera, looked as if they belonged in a science fiction movie. The building style that I’m referring to goes by various titles, but the most common is Googie.

Googie architecture seemed to capture the excitement of the burgeoning space race of the late fifties and early sixties, but it also allowed us to dream of a better and easier future. The common design motif was a hodgepodge of exaggerated and geometrically odd angles, boomerang, atomic and amoeba shapes, starburst ornamentation, and eye-catching neon signs. Other styles during this same period are closely related such as, Tiki or Polynesian. Occasionally, these styles fused into cool styles that safely transplanted us to another place.

As the Space program lost excitement, so did the public fascination with Googie. From the mid-seventies up to recently, Googie has been criticized by some as gauche or ridiculous. Unfortunately, many of these unique structures have long since lived their usefulness, and many are in decrepit condition (as seen in the photo). Googie buildings are frequently bought by greedy developers who in turn raze them in order to construct generic architecture. Nonetheless, Googie continues to be an important part of our historical and cultural landscape. Googie was in effect, very modern for the time.

If you are interesting in learning more about Googie, then please visit Space Age City for a more detailed explanation. Also, please look into the multitude of national, local and community preservation groups such as Atomic Age Alliance and Recent Past Preservation Network.