A rounded front building faces the street, atop it a tall spire stretches toward a bright blue sky. Near the bottom red letters spell out "Crossroads of the World." Atop the spire a globe.

The Violent History of LA’s Iconic Crossroads of the World

April 18, 2019, 5 Comments

Sunset Boulevard is synonymous with Hollywood. It’s home to a plethora of iconic buildings and linked to many legendary people. One such building is Crossroads of the World, a bizarre little 1930s shopping center turned office complex that looks like something out of a Disney theme park, with a steamship style building “sailing” past storefronts…

Me, standing in front of Pasadena City Hall, a tall, domed, Mediterranean style building, wearing a long pale green dress with small white flowers.

Stumbling Upon Pasadena’s Beautiful City Hall

March 26, 2019, 2 Comments

Last Sunday, Patrick and myself met up with some friends for tea at a tea room in Pasadena. Wanting to get out and wear my vintage Gunne Sax dresses more, I opted for one, and in walking from the parking structure to the tea room we stumbled upon the gorgeousness that is Pasadena’s City Hall,…

The building - two tall golden arches flank a slanted flat roof, and red and white tile wrap around the bottom. Walls of glass allow guests to walk up to the window and place their orders. The Speedee sign to the left.

The World’s Oldest McDonald’s

August 22, 2018, 7 Comments

Right here in Southern California, in the LA suburb of Downey (a place my father lived during part of his childhood), is the world’s oldest operating McDonald’s. It’s a unique claim to fame, and one some may pay no attention to, but, like it or not, fast food is an invention of America, and thus,…

The building, with its white low pitch roof, peeked in the middle, walls of glass, and flagstone at either end.

Mel’s Resurrects a Googie Masterpiece in Santa Monica

August 7, 2018, 4 Comments

Imagine traveling Route 66 in 1959, perhaps in a brand new stunning Chevy Impala. After days on the road you finally roll up to the intersection of Lincoln and Olympic (the true end of the Mother Road) in the beach city of Santa Monica, and you are greeted by a dapper looking penguin in a…

Me standing outside of the Gamble House.

The Gamble House – Pasadena’s Craftsman Masterpiece

July 23, 2018, 2 Comments

California is renowned for its Craftsman architecture. But, if I’m totally honest, I’m really not the biggest fan of the American Craftsman Movement of the late 19th and early 20th century. That isn’t to say I can’t appreciate it, as it proved to be innovative, and even influential on Mid-Century Modern, but still, I really…

Me sitting at one of the gorgeous turquoise and white booths.

Grand Re-Opening of George’s 50s Diner in Long Beach

June 25, 2018, 1 Comment

On December 16, 2016, one of Long Beach’s historic landmarks was in trouble. A fire tore through George’s 50s Diner, leaving the interior of this Googie masterpiece completely gutted. Miraculously the exterior was virtually untouched. But it was still a long road to rebuild, and a year and a half later, this icon is open…

Downey’s Abandoned Space Age Cadillac Dealership

March 23, 2018, 26 Comments

Lost Places Update: The former Bob Spreen Cadillac Dealership of Downey been recategorized as a Lost Place. While the place had stood abandoned for years, it was finally demolished in November 2020. * * * Last month, when my dad and brother were visiting, we went to one of my dad’s old haunts, Bob’s Big…

The Hollyhock House

July 16, 2015, 3 Comments

Today Patrick and I visited another incredibly icon of Los Angeles architecture, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House. Originally designed as a residence for oil heiress Aline Barnsdall, the Hollyhock House house began construction in 1919, and was completed in 1921, and was Wright’s second ever project in California. It included a water feature that ran…

Case Study House #22

May 13, 2015, 9 Comments

Janey got the weekend before my birthday off we decided to do something special just in case she had to work during my birthday. We decided to take a tour of the most famous of the Case Study houses, #22 the Stahl House. Unlike most of the other Case Study houses the Stahl House was made…

North Shore Yacht Club

March 28, 2015, 3 Comments

When Janey and I visited the Salton Sea last weekend we made sure to stop at the North Shore Yacht Club because it was designed by one of my favorite architects, desert modernist Albert Frey. After World War II, Frey designed some of Palm Springs most iconic buildings, including the Tramway Gas Station, the Palm Springs Aerial…