San Fernando Valley Blog: Googie

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Browsing Category "Googie"

Norms Restaurant Opening In Canoga Park Taking Over Old Bob Smith BMW Dealership

Wednesday, July 9, 2014 / 5 Comments

[Update August 25, 2015]: Norms sold this property to 7050 Topanga Holdings LLC on December 30, 2014 for $4,150,000 giving Norms a $650K profit after buying in 2012. The LLC links back to a law firm in Los Angeles so dont know who the true owner is. Although I have heard the same rumors as others that this will become a Starbucks but nothing has been confirmed.

[Original Post]:

According to a public hearing notice from the LA Dept. of City Planning, Norms Restaurant has requested a conditional use permit to change the operating hours from 7 A.M. to 11 P.M. to 24 hours at 7050 Topanga Canyon Blvd which means that Norm's is trying to convert the old Bob Smith BMW dealership to a Norms Restaurant.

Image courtesy Autohistorian Flickr

Oddly enough, Bob Smith originally purchased this property in 1978 as the sole BMW franchisee for the West SFV which used to be a Burger Chef. So its come full circle for this location to return to its original roots. Although, I am still curious on the transformation of the dealership back to a 24 hour restaurant. I wonder if the kitchen hookups still remain. Eventually, Bob Smith outgrew the facilities (or sought better clientele) and moved to Calabasas in 2004.

A review of property records show that the Robert A. Smith, Inc along with the Michael and Patricia Smith Family Trust (which I am assuming is related back to Bob Smith) sold this property to Norms Restaurant and Norms La Cienga on November 8, 2012 for $3.5 million. So it looks like Norms has been planning a restaurant at this location for quite some time and should definitely be opening a Norms since they also own the land.

I am still debating on whether I will continue visiting the original Norms in Van Nuys with its signature Googie architecture or take the shorter drive down Topanga. I guess it depends on the wait time, hopefully the Canoga Park restaurant has more seating.

You can view more SFV Architecture and Real Estate here.

Filming Locations: Transformers (2007)

Wednesday, July 2, 2014 / No Comments

Transformers is a 2007 American science fiction action film based on the Transformers toy line. The film, which combines computer animation with live-action, is directed by Michael Bay, with Steven Spielberg serving as executive producer. It is the first installment of the live-action Transformers film series. It stars Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky, a teenager who gets caught up in a war between the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons, two factions of alien robots who can disguise themselves by transforming into everyday machinery. The Autobots intend to use theA llSpark, the object that created their robotic race, in an attempt to rebuild Cybertron and end the war while the Decepticons desire control of the AllSpark with the intention of using it to build an army by giving life to the machines of Earth. Tyrese Gibson, Josh Duhamel, Anthony Anderson, Megan Fox, Rachael Taylor, John Turturro, and Jon Voight also star while voice actors Peter Cullen and Hugo Weaving voice Optimus Prime and Megatron respectively (Wikipedia).

This movie had two brief scenes from the SFV that were shown back to back when the transformers started to emerge. Coincidentally or not, those two locations were significant mid century modern buildings. The first was the Casa de Cadillac dealership and the former Frank Sinatra home in Chatsworth.

You can view more SFV filming locations here.

Casa de Cadillac 14401 Ventura Blvd Sherman Oaks 91423. You can view a brief history here.

9361 Farralone Avenue Chatsworth CA 91311. Formerly known as the Farralone Estate or Frank Sinatra estate where Marilyn Monroe rendezvoused with Jack Kennedy. This location has also been used for other film locations like an episode of Mad Men and an Usher music video. You can view more here when it was listed for $12 million back in December 2011.

And the trailer:

Woodland Hills Building Designed By John Lautner Planned for Demolition to Build Eldercare Facility

Monday, May 19, 2014 / No Comments

Image courtesy LA Conservancy/Helena Araheute

Sometime last week, the Department of City Planning issued a hearing notice (see note below) for the demolition of a building at 6530 - 6560 Winnetka Avenue in Woodland Hills to build an elder care facility containing 81 guestrooms for persons 62 years and older. What the notice didnt mention is that the proposed demolition is for a very significant and rare building design by world renowned architect John Lautner (see description by project architect and pictures below).

If I read the notice correctly, it specifically states, "An existing office and employment training center totaling approximately 12,000 square feet will be demolished." That training center, I believe, refers to the AbilityFirst's Paul Weston Work Center which was originally built in 1979 and was known as The Crippled Children's Society Rehabilitation Center.

The reason why I believe its the Lautner design is because there is another building on the same property however 6530 is the Lautner design which property records state measure 130,926 in total land sqft with the building measuring 11,214 sqft and is owned by AbilityFirst who are represented on the notice. The other building is located at 6560 which was built in 1989 and measures 74,403 sqft in total land with the building measuring 14,860 sqft and is owned by Rancho Del Valle Housing Corp. So I believe the Lautner design will be demolished and the Rancho building kept.

If I am correct in my interpretation of the notice, the SFV could possibly lose a significant and historic property which cannot obtain preservation protection because of its age or lack thereof. The hearing notice is below for your interpretation.

John Lautner's The Crippled Children's Society Rehabilitation Center in Woodland Hills Demolition...

The project's architect, Helena Arahuete, best described this unique design for the LA Conservancy:

The Crippled Children’s Society Rehabilitation Center in Woodland Hills was designed by John Lautner, architect, FAIA and built by Paul Speer, general contractor, in 1979. Helena Arahuete was the project architect working for John Lautner, and Ben Noble, Paul Speer’s associate, was in charge of the construction.

John Lautner designed the building to suit the requirements of Mary Jane Moore, the director of the Woodland Hills Center. Mrs. Moore wanted to see everything in the Center from her office, without having to use cameras and a monitoring TV system.

The building had to include a speech and hearing department, a workshop, a multipurpose room, a recreation room, an indoor swimming pool, locker rooms, storage, mechanical room, garage, and parking areas. A summer swimming lake was proposed but never built. The Center had to be designed for growth, so it could be built in phases.

Mr. Lautner created a one-of-a-kind design. The director’s office was at the center of a circular, pie-shaped plan. The office was raised three feet higher than the main floor, and it had no interior partitions, so it would provide total visibility to all the wings radiating from this center.

Each of the wings contained one of the departments listed above. Each wing had glass on three sides, facing landscaped areas that separated the wings and provided views, shading, and natural light.

These garden-like penetrations continued in the form of pie-shaped skylights to the center of the building. The structure converged to a central column in the director’s office and continued in the form of steel tie-downs, forming an open landscaped trellis outside the office, completing the circular plan. The trellis was designed to be densely planted, to provide shading to the director’s office.

John Lautner created in this Center, as well as in all his work, an ideal, practical, and inspiring environment. This was the main purpose in his Real Architecture.

-- By Helena Arahuete, July 23, 2013

Some of Lautner's most notable works include the Chemospere just above Studio City overlooking the SFV which was also utilized in the film, Charlie's Angels, the Elrod Residence in Palm Springs which was featured in the Bond film, Diamonds Are Forever, and the Bob Hope Residence in Palm Springs to name a few. Lautner designed more than 200 homes and businesses mostly featured in Southern California.

You can view more SFV Architecture and Real Estate here.