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The world famous "Welcome To Las Vegas" sign is a classic example of Googie design.
Googie
products
are
becoming
collector's
items.
Despite its decline in popularity during the 1970s, 1980s, and early 1990s, Googie style continued to influence product design.
Googie's exaggerated curves and angles sweep upwards and defy gravity.
The futuristic 1960s cartoon series "The Jetsons" adopted Googie as it's main underlying theme, and influenced many major worldwide construction projects including Montreal's Olympic Stadium.
Until recently, Googie's upwardly sweeping, "form over function" design elements were dismissed by most architects, despite their massive popularity. Today, Googie is making a huge comeback with a resurgence in popularity of 50s and 60s pop-Americana culture.
A recent resurgence of Googie is influencing
the design of mainstream sky scrapers and
office buildings
and has spawned
a new style
of commercial architecture
known as
retro-
futurism.
Once again,
Googie elements
are appearing
in diners,
fast food
restaurants,
and resort areas.
Googie elements are now highly respected by contemporary architects for their practical, asymmetrical, yet ingenious over-use of steel, plastic, concrete, glass, and neon.
- Googie's Coffee Shop was located on West Hollywood's Sunset Strip, next to Schwab's drug Store.
- Disneyland's Tomorrowland is a Googie wonderland.
- The best remaining examples of Googie architecture include the restaurant at Los Angeles Int'l Airport, and the Capitol Records building in Hollywood.
- Googie influenced clothing, furniture, appliances, and dinnerware designs
- Recognizable Googie design elements include asymmetrical boomerangs, starbursts, and amoebas.
- Googie was the first architecture to encourage the use of plastic.
- Efforts to preserve Googie buildings are increasing, especially in Los Angeles, as more and more icons disappear.
- Googie was influenced by Art Deco and Streamlined Moderne architecture.
- Googie is also known as Coffee Shop Modern, Populuxe, Doo Wop, Tiki, and Chinese Modern.
- Wildwood, North Wildwood, and Wildwood Crest in New Jersey have the largest number of Googie buildings in the United States
The Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri.
Today, Googie is constantly reinventing itself, especially in resort areas.
Googie Links:
The Art of Wayne Thiel www.waynethiel.com
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Googie is a uniquely American art form which peaked during the late 1950s and early 1960s. At the height of the Space Race, it's retro-futuristic style influenced almost every facet of American pop culture. Seattle's Space Needle is the largest and most widely recognized example of Googie. Today, Googie's influence on contemporary architecture reaches worldwide.
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G O O G I E F E V E R
Googie began as 1940s roadside architecture in Southern California, but had no official name until Googie's Coffee Shop in Los Angeles was discovered during the early 1950s Once discovered, however, it quickly spread into the mainstream. It's abstract, playful, and colorful style was popularized coast-to-coast in commercial signs for coffee shops, delis, restaurants, hotels, motels, theaters, drug stores, bowling alleys, shopping centers, car washes, car dealerships, and service station. Eventually, it dominated resort areas such as Las Vegas, Disneyland, Miami Beach, and the Jersey Shore. Most of the remaining examples of original Googie are located in Southern California, especially around Los Angeles and along the New Jersey shore, especially in the Wildwoods.
Photo courtesy of Wayne Thiel www.waynethiel.homestead.com
Photo courtesy of Wayne Thiel
www.waynethiel.homestead.com
Photo courtesy of Wayne Thiel
www.waynethiel.homestead.com
