Programmatic, thematic, mimetic architectural oddities.
It was a veritable juggernaut—the number and variety of roadside novelty (“vernacular,” “programmatic,” or “mimetic”) buildings that once dotted the urban landscape in Los Angeles. Like the examples featured in an related earlier post, these “hey-you-can’t miss-me!” buildings were made to pull automobile drivers right off the road—to eat, shop, or stay the night. Quirky,…
“Novelty,” “mimetic,” “programmatic,” “vernacular”—all are terms used to define the same crazy kind of “art imitates life” architecture that once dotted the L.A. cityscape (and much of the rest of the country, for that matter) starting in the 1920’s. You knew it when you saw it (and that was the point, of course). Puppies, chickens,…
Perfect for a hot summer day . . . a little vintage neon, 30’s style (guessing from the Streamline Moderne lines of the motel itself) with promises of island paradise! (Eagle Rock, 1460 Colorado Boulevard)
L.A.’s “Shakespeare Bridge” was built in 1926. Located in Los Feliz on Franklin Avenue at the juncture of St. George Street, it was designed to cross a brushy ravine (now Monon Street, a dead end) to allow for the residential development of the Franklin Hills neighborhood. The bridge is short—a concrete confection with fanciful Gothic…
In addition to being home to the fabulous Aztec Hotel, Monrovia also has an awesome vintage gas station located on what is now a wide, side-street (Shamrock Ave.), just north of Huntington Drive. The building looks so preservation-worthy to me . . . so every now and then I stop by to snap a few…
