My Favorite Style

In third grade, I knew I wanted to be an architect.  I had just read an article on Frank Lloyd Wright’s Imperial Hotel in Tokyo (1923) and I just knew it.  Over the years as I studied at Cal Poly Pomona, architectural history was one of my favorite subjects and eventually, I taught this subject at Cerritos College.  I have travelled extensively to visit notable architecture from Egypt to Beijing.  My career has allowed me to take on many historic projects including work at LA’s Union Station, many projects in the historic downtown of Santa Ana, and more recently, the Danville Hotel in Northern California.  Over the years, many have asked, what is your favorite style of architecture.  This has been a difficult question for me, but now, I think I have an answer.

A couple of weeks ago, I attended the Googie World Expo in Van Nuys.  The event was held at the Valley Relics Museum – itself an interesting place.  Featured speakers included Alan Hess who wrote the book on Googie and Michael Murphy who discussed the work of Armet Davis and Newlove who designed many diners in the 1950s and 1960s.  Other speakers covered mid-Century influences on automotive design and the new concept of selling cars to women!  Disney Legend Don Hahn discussed mid-Century influences on Disneyland and Disney art.  The closer was our consulting Architectural Historian Jen Mermilliod, who presented Covina Bowl (1956 Powers, Daley DeRosa),  our recently completed WHA project

The Covina Bowl is a significant example of Googie style.  In the post-war years, as suburbia stretched across the orange groves, the Covina Bowl was more than a bowling alley.  It became the center of the community with restaurants, cocktail lounges, banquet rooms, rooms for post-war women to “get together” complete with childcare, as well as bowling.  The architects were recognized as masters of the form, designing nearly 50 such facilities.  But times changed and in 2017 it closed, and all the bowling equipment removed.  The building was left to rot, was vandalized, occupied by homeless, and damaged by fire.  The Los Angeles Conservancy declared it the most endangered building in the Los Angeles region.

Our work with Jen and with Trumark Homes has revived the Covina Bowl, restoring it to its 1956 appearance.  The audience at the museum enthusiastically approved of our efforts and the Conservancy has declared it “SAVED”!

Which brings me to my  answer.  As a kid growing up on the Westside of LA, riding in the backseat of mom’s Chevy Bel Air, I was exposed to the greatest Googie architecture.  The original Norms, Pann’s, Johnnie’s, as well as Big Do-Nut Drive In (now Randy’s Donuts), the space age architecture of LAX, and the 1949 Broadway Westchester were my earliest architectural influences as a little boy.  Even our McDonald’s was the original design with two giant arches, canted glass walls and ceiling, evocative of a fun modern architecture.  So, I think now I can say, Googie, a Los Angeles originated style, is my favorite.