Googie, Bob's, Aliso Viejo, El Toro & preservation

I'll be giving another talk about Googie architecture at the Oct. 17th meeting of the Old Courthouse Museum Society. The meeting will be held on the third floor of the Old O.C. Courthouse in Downtown Santa Ana at lunchtime. I'll probably post something more about this later.

The photo above shows one of my favorite Googie buildings in O.C.: The old Bob's Big Boy at Harbor and Chapman in Garden Grove. Designed by Armet & Davis, the exterior is still largely entact -- Including that wonderful integrated sign!

Aliso Viejo will hold their second annual Founder's Day Fair on Saturday.

The Saddleback Area Historical Society will hold its Autumn Harvest Festival on Oct. 20, 4-9pm, at Heritage Hill Historical Park in El Toro.

My latest rant about preservation and planning is posted in the form of a response to Joe Shaw's latest blog entry.

O.C. architecture's greatest hits

The October issue of Westways magazine features an article about Southern California’s “most significant structures,” based on a recent list from the American Institute of Architects. Of these, only one building was in Orange County: Philip Johnson’s Crystal Cathedral (1980) in Garden Grove. Additionally, Westways' own hand-picked panel of experts decided that Mission San Juan Capistrano should also have appeared on the list, which is true.

But I would like to add at least three more nationally-important O.C. buildings to the list: The Lovell Beach House on the Balboa Penninsula, Sleeping Beauty’s Castle at Disneyland, and the blimp hangars at the former Marine Corps Air Station in Tustin.

The Lovell Beach House (1926) [seen above], was where architect Rudolph M. Schindler introduced European Modernism to America. It was the first stateside example of a style that would spread across the entire nation, gradually adapting to its environment and changing form as it went. The historical and architectural significance of this house is sometimes overlooked, but can not be overstated.

Look at your bank, your city hall, your school, or your favorite donut shop. Chances are, they’re the bastard great-great-grandchildren of this building. Amid the innumerable Modern structures that now grace O.C., this home now barely stands out to casual passers-by – But it must have been quite a shock to people strolling along the beach in the 1920s.

Julius Schulman, who originally photographed this building for Schindler, was on Westways’ expert panel, so I don’t know how they missed it.

Sleeping Beauty’s Castle (1955), at Disneyland, is probably the ultimate example of programmatic architecture. Its ancestors are roadside hot dog stands that looked like giant hot dogs, motels that looked like wigwams, and ice cream shops that looked like igloos. Disney just took the idea to a whole new level when they built a 77-foot idealized version of Germany's Castle Neuschwanstein.

Even before Disneyland opened, Sleeping Beauty’s Castle had become an instantly-recognizable symbol of the Walt Disney Company, of California tourism, and of childhood fantasy itself. The design was elaborated on in four other Disney theme parks, and mimicked by countless smaller operations. Other than a few historic structures on the East Coast (e.g. The White House), it’s hard to think of another American building that is so recognizable or which inspires such an instant emotional reaction from so many people.

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The Blimp Hangars (1942) at MCAS Tustin were constructed in only six months as part of the effort to protect our coastline from enemy attack during WWII. Six inflated blimps could fit in each hangar. The USMC later used the base for helicopters. Although there are still a few identical structures left around the country, there are no larger free-standing wood structures in the world. Despite claims by those who want the hangars demolished for new development, these two enormous structures are well-built and still require very little maintenance. They serve as both an important reminder of our military history and as a testament to American architectural ingenuity.

The AIA list's inclusion of the Crystal Cathedral brings up another point: Why not include the entire Garden Grove Community Church compound? It is a veritable petting zoo of amazing Modern architecture by Richard Meier, Philip Johnson and both Richard Neutra and Dion Neutra.

These are just the examples that come to mind at the moment. I'm sure I'm missing something important, and hopefully you'll write some "reply" posts telling me what I forgot.

Tallmantz Aviation, Book Baron & Milford Zornes

Aero Vintage Books has posted some information about Tallmantz Aviation and the Orange County Airport on their website. Today's photo shows the old Orange County Airport terminal (distant left) and the hangar for the Martin School of Aviation (near right), probably in the late 1950s or early 1960s.
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Much to my chagrin, I forgot about the postcard show in Glendale this weekend. (Doh!) It's such a great way to collect old images of local sites. At least Phil brought me back a 1973 Huntington Beach 4th of July Parade program. (Thanks!)

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Doris Walker will discuss and sign her new book, Images of America: Dana Point, at the next Dana Point Historical Society meeting, this Wednesday, 7pm, at the South Shores Church Community Room, 32712 Crown Valley Pkwy.

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Book Baron in Anaheim is still clearing out their inventory and are down to 60% off everything in the store. It's so sad to see this great O.C. institution closing its doors.

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I was cheered up slightly by the fact that I left the store yesterday with a stack of books I might not otherwise have afforded, including Marion Speer's Western Trails (1932), which is the only imprint by the Huntington Beach News that I'm aware of. [Speer was also the founder of the Western Trails Museum, which began in Liberty Park (now part of Huntington Beach) and which now resides in Ghost Town at Knott's Berry Farm.]

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19th St. West Gallery in Costa Mesa will hold a closing reception for their current show of paintings by Milford Zornes on Oct. 20, 6pm-9pm. Hopefully, Zornes will make an appearance. He is now 99 and probably the last of the original wave of influential California Watercolor artists. If you're interested in art or local art history, you should try to attend.

The Red Menace, Old Town Orange and CSUF

Here's a little slice of local Cold War history. The photo above shows the Nike missile installation on Knott Ave in Stanton around 1960. No, you can't see the missiles, but the radar tower is certainly impressive. I'm not sure if the Nikes here were the nuclear type, or the conventional ones designed to knock incoming ICBMs out of the sky. I would guess the latter.

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Between sites like this, the bases at Tustin and El Toro, and landing strips like Mile Square and Horse Farm, it's amazing how much O.C. land was controlled by the military during the Cold War. Today, most of that land is being turned into condos, "big box" shopping centers, and the so-called "Great Park." Just one more reason to miss having the military as our neighbors.

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The Old Towne Preservation Association (OTPA) in Orange will hold their historic home tour Oct. 27 & 28. They need docents. If you would like to volunteer, contact Kathleen.

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The Fall newsletter for CSUF's Center for Oral & Public History (COPH) is now online. Highlights include Sharon Owen Pellegrino's advice on purchasing recording equipment, and Art Hansen's introduction of new History Dept faculty members Dr. Raymond Rast and Dr. Benjamin Cawthra. I imagine we'll hear more from these promising newcomers in the coming months.

South Coast Plaza, Dana Point, robot elephants, etc

South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. The Carousel Court is part of the original 1967 portion of the mall and was their main marketing theme for many years. The photo at right shows me there in March 1974, taking my first my first carousel ride. Clearly, I was still pretty unsure about the whole thing, even with Mom standing nearby.

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The new Dana Point Historical Society newsletter, (The News Drogher) is out, with articles about early developer Ralph W. Quackenbush, the Society's upcoming home tour, and a November trip to the Doheny homes in Los Angeles. It sounds like Buck Henderson was in charge of their last BBQ, which is always a good thing.

I think we were all disappointed last week when the the pachyderms at CSUF's 50th anniversary Robot Elephant Race turned out to only be about a foot tall. I had visions of lifesized, realistic, bionic elephants charging around the campus at high speed. Now THAT would have been cool. Oh, well. Maybe for the 100th Anniversary.
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Light Impressions Inc. will offer one of their "Archival Workshops" at the Old O.C. Courthouse on Oct. 6th. These workshops are the equivalent of Tupperware parties for folks who want to preserve their family photos and artifacts.

Dave DeCaro at Daveland has been doing a multi-post photo tour of Disneyland's "Tencennial" in 1965. For those who care about such things, there was also a great TV show broadcast for the park's 10th anniversary, which is available on a couple different DVD sets. In the show, Walt shows introduces us to some of the top Imagineers and shows off his plans for Pirates of the Carribean, the Haunted Mansion, and other new attractions. Here are a few clips:

• Show introduction and It's A Small World with Mary Blair
• Haunted Mansion with Marc Davis
• The Plaza Inn with John Hench

A dark and stormy night...

The rain is now pounding down outside my window. Lord knows we need it, but it breaks my heart to think what's happening to the Twist-Basler House right now. Thanks to the City of Santa Ana and the developer, it remains chopped into pieces and exposed to the elements. Rain does very bad things to historic interiors. I won't be surprised to see lawsuits filed shortly. The Register covered this story in some depth today.
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To keep up on the latest news about the Twist-Basler House, bookmark the Santa Ana Historic Preservation Society's (SAHPS) website.
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Speaking of the SAHPS, they will be holding their historical salvage sale tomorrow (Saturday), rain or shine. There should be a bunch of good stuff there for you restoration/preservation folks, and the money goes to a worthy organization (SAHPS) which just won the 2007 California Governor's Award from the State Office of Historic Preservation.

A year after the fact, Newport Beach has decided to celebrate their city's centennial by putting a huge bronze orb at the base of the Newport Pier. The sphere will be surrounded by a dark circular pattern set into the plaza. In other words, it will look just like the Cosmic Waves fountain in Tomorrowland -- except that it won't spray your children with polluted water, which you have to admit is a big plus. Newport claims the project will cost half a million dollars. You know, they could have used that money to help retrofit and restore Newport Harbor High School. Or they could have used it to help preserve the Fun Zone. But since all of that is gone now, let's just hope this orb lasts longer than the Reuben E. Lee did.

It's hard for me to fathom the folks in City governments (and every city has them) who don't "get" the importance of a community's landmarks and historic sites. But the other day, I figured out the perfect way to understand these people...
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They're Vogons.
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For those of you unfamiliar with Douglas Adams' Hitchihiker's Guide to the Galaxy, perhaps the following excerpt will explain:

"[Vogons] are one of the most unpleasant races in the galaxy. Not actually evil, but bad tempered, bureaucratic, officious and callous. They wouldn't even lift a finger to save their own grandmothers from the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal without orders signed in triplicate, sent in, sent back, queried, lost, found, subjected to public enquiry, lost again, and finally buried in soft peat for three months and recycled as firelighters."

Giving mankind about 10 seconds notice before demolishing Earth, a Vogon from the Galactic Hyperspace Planning Council broadcasts the following:

“People of Earth, your attention please. …The plans for the development of the outlying areas of the Galaxy involve the building of a hyperspace bypass through your star system. And regrettably, your planet is one of those scheduled for demolition…. The plans have been on display at your local planning office in Alpha Centauri for the past fifty of your Earth years… [That’s] only four light years away, you know. I'm sorry, but if you can't be bothered to take an interest in local affairs, that's your own lookout. Energize the demolition beams!"

Vogons.

It's the perfect analogy, and I will be using it (although perhaps not out loud) any time I run into uncaring government bureaucrats who would as soon tear down a California Mission as look at it.

Dana Point, Fountain Valley, and Zlacket's Market

Today's photo of Dana Point, circa 1960, comes from the Orange County Archives. This shot is taken from the headlands, looking down toward "Baby Beach." In modern terms, the Pilgrim would be moored in the lower right corner of the photo. Notice that the old pier is still in place and that heavy equipment is just beginning the work of turning a cove into a proper harbor. At the base of the bluffs, you can also see the red-roofed (ca 1928) picnic structure -- part of which still stands today.
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If you'd like to know more about Dana Point, look for Doris Walker's latest book, Images of America: Dana Point, which just came out in the past week or so. To learn more about the book and Doris, see the latest update on the Dana Point Historical Society's website.

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The Fountain Valley Historical Society will host a Western Cookout lunch and meeting on Sept 23 at Heritage Park, 17641 Los Alamos St., in Fountain Valley. For more information and reservations, call Maureen at (714) 914-1247.

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There's a nice article in today's Register about the 80th anniversary of Zlacket's Market in Downtown Garden Grove. I know folks who swear by their prime rib and other meats. Although it's definitely out of my way, I stop in a couple times a year to stock up on anachronistic soft drinks, Danish preserves, and Reed's root beer candy. You know,... Health food!

Tourist Trifecta: Knott's, Disneyland, & Capistrano

Recently, I've been scanning a bunch of old family photos. Occasionally I run across a cool old image of O.C. that might be worth sharing here. This photo of the "Happy Sombreros" (a.k.a. "Mexican Hat Dance") at Knott's Berry Farm is the first of those. I figure this was taken about 1983 or 1984. Dad's on the right, and I'm on the left, wearing a painfully 1980s Miami-Vice-colored Izod shirt. The other folks are a family my parents knew from their Air Force days.

Seconds after this photo was taken, the two dads were spinning the center wheel of the "chili bowl" so fast that I thought my head would fly off from the centrifugal force. Lucky there was a headrest behind me. Who knew the Mexican version of Disney's teacups could be turned into an E-ticket?

Speaking of Disney attractions, the mind that brought you the ever-edifying Daveland has now launched another blog, dedicated entirely to Disneyland's Jungle Cruise. Various former J.C. skippers are contributing as well. Looks like fun.

The Register recently ran an article about the living history program at Mission San Juan Capistrano, and longtime docent Marcy Barr.