Googie, O.C. Archives, Orange, Dana Point and shameless self-promotion

I'll be giving two talks on local history next week. The photos above show examples of Googie Architecture in the City of Orange - which will be my topic at the March 26th meeting of the Orange Community Historical Society. The meeting will begin at 7pm, at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St. (The same place the Orange County Historical Society meets.) In case you don't know, Googie is an exaggerated form of Mid-Century Modern Architecture tailored to the needs of car-crazy California. It often looks like something out of a Jetsons cartoon. It's fun stuff.

.

The night before, I'll be speaking at the Dana Point Historical Society about the Orange County Archives, its many historical collections, and how to use them. I'll put a special emphasis on ways to research the history of your historic home. If there's time, I also hope to throw in some examples of interesting old Dana Point photos held by the Archives. The DPHS meeting will begin at 6:30pm, March 25, at the Dana Point Tennis Center, 24911 Calle De Tenis.

.

There's been a lot of activity lately over at OCThen.com. Check out their recent posts about such varied subjects as Saddleback Inn, United California Bank, the New Wave Club, Boy Scout Troop 26, artist Claude Bell, Santa Ana Community Hospital, The Velvet Turtle, Fitz Intermediate School, van clubs at Irvine Park, moped shops, Delhi, Little Corona Beach, Escape Country, the Old Irvine Store, La Palma Junior High, and growing up at MCAS El Toro. (Whew!)
.

Oops! I almost forgot,... The photo at the top of today's post shows Selman Chevrolet, 1800 E. Chapman Ave. The second photo shows Earl's Home Cookin' (a former Denny's), 807 Tustin Ave. Both are rare examples of Googie architecture still standing in the City of Orange. My talk on the 26th will be illustrated with a variety of current and vintage images.