I've lived in Los Angeles long enough to see quintessentially quirky Southern Californian architecture either demolished or saved by Corporate America.
Googie landmarks like the Holiday Bowl coffee shop, Mission Hills Bowl, and Friendly Hills Lanes are now a Starbucks, a Ross Dress for Less, and a BevMo. Norm's has been threatened with a hostile takeover by Raising Cane's.
Photo taken 2018
And to save Corky's in Sherman Oaks, a.k.a. the former Stanley Burke's and Lamplighter restaurants...
The Hills of Peace Cemetery (later renamed Verdugo Hills) was dedicated in 1922 to serve the areas of Sunland and Tujunga, California—in the Crescenta Valley region of Los Angeles.
The most recent headstones you see are from, say, 1972. There's one crypt in the mausoleum dating back to 1977.
And until recently, the only thing almost anyone ever remembered about it was its grisly history—not only natural disasters, but also vandalism and remains that were improperly disposed. It was so bad, some families actually moved their loved ones from their crypts.
The cemetery finally closed to the public in 2002—after which family members of those interred could visit by appointment only (despite it being declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 2009). The only other time it was open was for occasional historical tours.
But thanks to the efforts of Friends of Verdugo Hills Cemetery (led by the "undertaker," Craig Durst)—which held monthly and then weekly volunteer cleanup days—the cemetery was prepped and beautified for its centennial celebration on April 23, 2022.
The first time I visited Oceanic Arts in Whittier, California, I wasn't in the market to buy any tropical or Polynesian decor. But since it's the world's leading supplier of it—and the longest continually operating manufacturer of such products—it felt like a pilgrimage I needed to make.
[Last updated 2/8/25 9:43 PM PT—Added Mel's section to the bottom of this post.]
♫"...If you think that you can be an actor, see Mr. Factor,
he'd make a monkey look good..."♫
- "Hooray for Hollywood"
Growing up in the age of drug- and department-store cosmetics like Revlon, Cover Girl, and Maybelline, it's easy to think that "Max Factor" was just another brand name.
In fact, some people have theorized that Max Factor is a kind of portmanteau of the medical practice of "maxillofacial" surgery, or "Max Facs."
But there was, indeed, a Max Factor—or, rather, a Maks Faktor.
Born in Poland, Maksymilian Faktorowicz is the man we should credit for inventing lip gloss—and many other staples of our everyday makeup cases.
He's the one who created the heart-shaped lips—like those of a Pierrot clown—for silent movie star and "It Girl" Clara Bow.
On the flipside, he also exaggerated Joan Crawford naturally thin lips, creating an overdrawn look nicknamed the "Hunter's Bow."
His pedigree was unmatched, having worked for the Imperial Russian Grand Opera's cosmetician at only age 14. Later, he became the on-call beautician to the family of Russia’s Czar Nicholas II.
After immigrating to the United States, and moving to LA with his family in 1908, he founded Max Factor & Company in 1909. Without a permanent headquarters, he set up shop in various different neighborhoods and in buildings that weren't his own (including, for a while, the Pantages building).
In 1913, he caught a break when he persuaded Hollywood director Cecil B. DeMille to rent the wigs he'd custom-made.
But in the land of make-believe, it was "make-up" that brought Max Factor the most attention.
Until he started "making up" both starlets and average women, the term "make-up" was only associated with theater actors and vulgar women with bad reputations.
That all changed after he settled into his own home—and threw the doors open to the public, welcoming them into an opulent setting that was perfect for lured high-society and professional women (and way too nice for hussies).
circa 1939 (Photo: Works Progress Administration Collection, via LAPL)
He chose the Hollywood Fire and Safe Building, built in 1913, as his future home in 1928—disastrously close to the stock market crash that would delay its opening until 1935.
But that's because you've never been to St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Redondo Beach, California.
Located just a 20-minute drive south of the ultimate Googie coffee shop, Pann's...
...St. Andrew's is also the work of master Googie architects Armet and Davis.
Though, having been built in 1958, it's a rather late entry in the firm's oeuvre.
By then, the architects had already tried their hands at ecclesiastical architecture, with St. Elisabeth's in Van Nuys (1950), the First Presbyterian Church of San Pedro (1954), Our Savior Lutheran in Westchester (1955), and the New Trinity Lutheran Church in Norwalk (1955), among others.
They'd also dabbled in a few Christian schools and memorial parks. And they had been working with religious institutions since 1947.
Creation of Man
Better-associated with ecclesiastical architecture is Judson Studios, which provided the Midcentury-style stained glass windows.
The Psalms, The Prophets, The Birth of Christ
The project was overseen by Horace T. Judson—grandson of Judson Studios founder William Lees Judson and son of Walter Horace Judson). A former lawyer, he'd given up his practice to run the studio's day-to-day from 1934 until the 1970s.
The Birth of Christ
They're not, however, original to the opening of the church. And while the collection of stained glass is coherent thematically—"The Great Acts of God"—they weren't even installed all at once.
Creation of Man
From "The Creation of the World" to "The Calling of the Disciples" and "The Alpha and Omega," one or two windows would be added at a time, as funds became available, starting three years after the church held its first service.
The Ten Commandments
The "Windows of Faith" are actually tryptics of three individual window units, each with its own sponsor. "The Burning Bush" is depicted alongside "The Passover" and "The Ten Commandments" (above), and so on.
The Sermon on the Mount
The saturated colors are meaningful here, with red representing passion, zeal, fire, and sacrifice.
The Resurrection
Green represents hope and new or renewed life (as with the Resurrection, above)...
The Great Commission
...and purple, great suffering and the 40 days of Lent in reparation for Easter.
The New Law
Although, in the end, I think all anybody is looking for is the color blue—a symbol of truth, constancy, faithfulness, eternity, and Heaven.
Special thanks to St. Andrew's for sharing its stained glass historical archives for this post.
[Last updated 1/9/20 9:29 PM PT—Updated status on Corky's, which has closed.]
When I think about some of my favorite buildings in the LA area—particularly favorite places to eat—it should come as no surprise that many of them have something in common.
They were designed by the same architecture firm.
One of the most prominent practitioners of "Coffee Shop Modern" architecture was Armet and Davis—a firm that continues to design new restaurants out of its Santa Monica office, though now they're more of the "fast casual" and "quick service" variety like Wendy's and Burger King.
Last year, I had the opportunity to visit the firm's headquarters as part of a Googie-themed bus tour of the LA area hosted by Chris Nichols...
...and that's when it all started coming together for me.
Through their concept sketches and watercolors, the past and the present converged...
...both the places I'll never get to see because they were demolished before my time (like John Lautner's Sunset Strip eatery "Googie's," from which the style draws its name) and the places I may live to mourn.
Armet and Davis created Johnie's Coffee Shop—known as Romeo's Times Square for just a year or so before flipping become Ram's Coffee Shop.
One of the few remaining mid-century "coffee shops" of LA, Johnie's (or so it's been known since 1966) was designated a Historic-Cultural Monument in 2013.
That landmark designation, of course, won't necessarily save Johnie's from demolition. And it very recently has been threatened by the construction of the Metro Purple Line along Wilshire Boulevard.
For the moment, it's still defaced with campaign propaganda in support of 2016 presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. I'd love to see it reopen one day.
Norm's on La Cienega has experienced its fair share of threats to its preservation, though it appears to be safe for now. And it's always packed.
Motorists are still drawn to the 1957 Googie design by Armet and Davis. Its pennant-style neon sign is a quintessential beacon in the neighborhood—and under its geometric roofline huge window walls allow drivers to peek inside as much as the diners can watch the cars go by.
Many of the interior details are still intact, including flagstone-accented walls and mosaic tile with the initial “n” for Norm’s. Founder Norm Roybark, a used car salesman, dictated that this and several others of his restaurants be built to resemble automobile showrooms.
One of my stalwart breakfast and lunch places while I'm in the Valley is Corky's in Sherman Oaks. [Update: Corky's closed in December 2019 and efforts are underway to landmark the building.]
With an upward-sweeping roof designed by Armet and Davis in 1958, it originally opened as Stanley Burke's Coffee Shop (or, just simply "Stan's"—an outpost of a chain primarily based in Northern California)...
...became Corky's in the 1960s...
...and then the Lamplighter Family Restaurant until being rechristened Corky's in 2011.
Hinting at the hotspot's history of 24-hour nightlife along the Van Nuys Boulevard strip, the interior is darker than most coffee shops (with colorful screens added in a 1980s renovation)...
...but long-gone are the likes of Billy Joel, who worked there as a "piano man" for a few weeks.
Also in 1958, Armet and Davis created another coffee shop called Pann's, this one with a tilted instead of convex roof. But the primary architect behind this Googie masterpiece wasn't Louis Armet or Eldon Davis—but the Chinese-American designer they employed, Helen Fong.
Renowned for her futuristic designs, Fong was one of the first women to join the AIA. She worked with Armet and Davis until the late 1970s, when she retired.
Her name has largely disappeared from the credits of these Googie landmarks—which, in addition to Pann's, also included Norm's, Johnie's (as above), and the former Holiday Bowl in the Crenshaw District.
Now partially preserved as a Starbucks, the Googie-style coffee shop of the bowling alley has traded its orange and white facade for the green and white of corporate coffeemaking.
The bowling alley itself closed in the year 2000 and was demolished in 2003.
It evokes the Space Age circa 1957...
...its zig-zagged roof pointing straight at the cosmos out there.
Inside, under that jagged ceiling, multi-culti dishes spanning several ethnic groups are no longer being served, now replaced by Ventis and whipped topping.
Holiday Bowl had been opened by a group of Japanese-American entrepreneurs and later owned by Chinese and Koreans—and the food selections offered once reflected that diversity. Fong's Japanese folk woodwork is no more, but the "saucer"- and "bubble"-style lamps remain.
Nearby is the former Wich Stand coffee shop that opened in 1957, closed in 1988, and was rebranded as the Simply Wholesome health food store and restaurant in 1995. It's the only one of two Wich Stands that remain, this one better known as the one "on the hill."
Even without the old sign, this Eldon Davis-designed coffee shop is instantly recognizable by its 35-foot-tall spire. But it's no longer a drive-in, nor does it serve any cocktails—much less in what was once known as the "Broom Room."
Of course one of the most exciting preservation victories as of late is a rescued Armet and Davis-designed coffee shop from 1959. The original business there, the Penguin Coffee Shop, closed its doors in 1991; the most recent business was a dentistry and orthodontics practice.
Restored and reopened to the public are the classic pitched roof, once-drywalled flagstone, and picture windows—all thanks to the Mel's Drive-In chain (which also operates out of an Armet and Davis classic from 1953, the former Kerry's Coffee Shop, in Sherman Oaks).
The latest Googie fabulousness to have new life breathed into it is the former Crown Chili Burger (which it was for at least 10 years)...
...which closed earlier this year and reopened as Ruby's Shake Shop—a burger stand version of the retro diner chain that first started in Newport Beach.
The accordioned roofline sports a fresh coat of paint, and this neglected Armet and Davis design from 1965 is finally getting some attention.
The tiny commercial structure is only 380 square feet, but it sure stands out on the corner of Lankershim and Otsego in North Hollywood—even amidst all the new construction popping up across the intersection.
And the new "Shake Shop" is a nice revival of the stand's former life as an ice cream parlor—at least, as it appeared in a 1975 episode of The Rockford Files.
