signs of googie

vista_hamburgers

well today in manhattan it was very cloudy and misty. one of those days perfect for reading a book, or watching college football. i however finally took on a small adventure i had been wanting to take for a long time. today was my day. i am a huge fan of "googie architecture". now this isn't the most sophisticated form of architecture, such as renaissance or baroque, but one that i enjoy immensely. most of it consists of bowling alley's, liquor stores, and motel signs. for a short history lesson, this is because this style developed in the fifties and sixties when american's were having dreams of outer space. during this time americans were also in love with their cars. this style put those together and you end up with very large and flashy space like shapes to draw in the drivers attention. this style is closely linked to more serious style of modern architecture such as the designs of John Lautner. For anyone interested, you can get more information here.
back on track, there were a few signs in the manhattan area that fall under this category, that i had not captured on film yet. so i packed up my camera and headed out. first was the dreamland motel outside junction city. i've driven past this sign for years and never stopped. the sign is great. one interesting aspect of this sign that i enjoy is the use of kansas's own natural limestone. that element seems to find it's way into every style of architecture in kansas. next it was back to manhattan, to photograph vista hamburgers. another great sign. i'm not sure of the history of this restaurant, but i know that most college students in the past 35 years have eaten here at least once. i'm glad i got the pictures, i'll have to head back on a sunny day, or possible at night to show off the neon.

dreamland_motel

vista_neon