Sky Palm Motel – Orange, CA

Here is a neat googie jem, located right in the middle of the Tustin Avenue commercial district in Orange, California. This place features a cool neon sign out front, as well rock walls (similar to that of Pann’s), and palm trees.

Motel at night. The a-frame roof at the motels entrance exemplifies the mid-century modern geometric shapes.





Here is a picture of the both the "Motel" pole sign and the neon "vacancy" lit up for the evening.









Here is a close up of the neon portion of the sign.







The Sky Palm Motel is located on 210 N. Tustin St., Orange, CA. The phone number is
(714) 639-6602. Here is a map of the location.

Santa Fe Depot - Orange, CA

The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Depot in the City of Orange, California, is currently used as a stop on Southern California’s Metrolink (Orange County Branch), as well as Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner.


The current depot structure was dedicated on May 1, 1938 and was closed with the Santa Fe's discontinuation of passenger service in 1971. The building was granted historic landmark status by the City of Orange on November 15, 1990.

The Santa Fe, under its affiliate the Southern California Railway, laid the first tracks through Orange in 1886 and established its first depot the following year. During peak growing seasons, as many as 48 carloads of citrus fruits, olives, and walnuts were shipped daily from the Orange depot as well.




Here is a close up of the art deco sign.











For those interested in visiting the depot, it is located at 100 N. Atchison Street,
Orange, CA 92866

Randy's Donuts - Los Angeles (Inglewood)

Randy's Donuts (locally known as the "Big O") is a classic example of programmatic architecture that had its heyday between the mid-1920’s and the mid-1930’s. Randy’s is located Inglewood, California near Los Angeles International Airport.


Randy's was built in 1953 as the second location of the now-defunct Big Donut Drive-In chain by Russell C. Wendell, a donut machine salesman. The product is represented by a 32-foot doughnut on the roof of an otherwise ordinary drive-in. The building was designed by Henry J. Goodwin.

Recently, Randy’s Donuts was featured in a local Los Angeles television show called “Cheap Eats.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8QjBgiIaRE

For those interested in visiting Randy’s Donuts, you can check it out on the web http://www.randys-donuts.com/ or visit them in person at 805 West Manchester Avenue, Inglewood, CA 90301. Phone number is (310) 645-4707.

Chip's - Los Angeles (Hawthorne)

This googie gem opened in 1957, and was designed by architect Harry Harrison. Key characteristics of this restaurant include the concrete walls, glass windows, jutting roof, plant life, and the steel-beam pylon sign.



Chip's is a great-looking example of mid-20th century Googie-Style architecture. This type of modernistic, space-age architecture is called "Googie" after the coffee shop of the same name designed by John Lautner in 1949.






This neighborhood diner near LAX has changed little since it first opened its doors. The counter seating, a feature borrowed from submarine design, enhances the space and allows the staff to mop the floors under the customers' feet.


For those interested in visiting Chip’s, it is located on 11908 Hawthorne Blvd, Hawthorne, CA 90250. Phone number is (310) 679-2947