Programmatic, thematic, mimetic architectural oddities.
Long Beach has islands. Four of them. And you can clearly see them as you fly into the airport (LGB) or traverse Ocean Avenue. But these are artificial islands. Wonderful fakes, designed to vibe palm trees, waterfalls, blue-and-white condos and more. At night, the islands sparkle in Long Beach Harbor with colorful lights. Amazingly, they…
Who could resist? They were meant to catch the eye. Perhaps the most notable thing about any of the Doggie Diners was that 10-foot-tall, 300-pound, grinning dachshund sporting a white chef’s hat. His bowtie so jaunty, his wide-eyed, pointy-nosed grin so . . . odd? OK, oddly charming. Maybe inviting, I guess. “Hot dog, Coke,…
Drive a certain stretch of the 134 (Ventura) freeway, heading east between Glendale and Pasadena (just opposite the Figueroa exit), and you can’t miss it. And if you grew up in the northeastern section of the San Fernando Valley, you’ve seen it your whole life. It’s the actual “Eagle Rock”—a name you most likely associate…
Years ago, I found an amazing print in a box of old family photos. It was undated, unlabeled, and probably taken to show off my grandparents’ new car. But the star of the photo for me was the gigantic pumpkin building in the background. It was one of those roadside oddities (often referred to as…
He’s a local celebrity, “the world’s largest Jack-O’-Lantern,” and the city of Wilmington’s annual Halloween tradition since 1952. Smilin’ Jack, aka oil tank #304, is located at the Phillips 66 Los Angeles oil refinery. Every year, the 3-million-gallon tank is covered with at least 21 coats of orange paint and transformed into a huge pumpkin….
