Johnie's broiler

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Neon sign from Johnie's Broiler 2002
Johnie's broiler after demolition in 2007

Johnie's Broiler was a coffee shop and drive- through restaurant in Downey , southern California . It is considered a striking example of the Googie style.

It was opened in 1958 by Harvey Ortner, initially with his name as "Harvey's Broiler" on Firestone Boulevard. The client's intention was, with the help of the architect, Paul B. Clayton, to construct a building that, with its unusual contemporary style elements, would spontaneously address the passing motorists and invite them to linger. The architect later referred to it as his most important design for a commercial building.

The restaurant was an immediate success and quickly became known far beyond the region. In 1966 the previous chef, Johnnie Smyrniotis, took over the restaurant and changed the name to "Johnie's Broiler". There is a legend that the shortening of the first name to just one "n" was due to the lack of length of the existing tablet.

Johnie's Broiler and Firestone Boulevard were the big meeting places in the region at the evening car parades that were particularly popular with young people in the USA at the time . Up to 3000 participants are said to have been counted per night. The more conspicuous the vehicle was (e.g. hot rods , custom cars , dune buggies ), the greater the general admiration. At Johnie's Broiler you could stop, be served by young waitresses on roller skates and socialize with the guests in the neighboring cars.

Because of its authentic 1950s look, the restaurant has repeatedly been chosen as a location for film scenes and TV shows such as Heat , Reality Bites , Short Cuts , One Hour Photo and the Mad Men series . However, in late 2001, Johnie's Broiler was closed. The owner then leased the property to a used car dealer. Due to the general disappointment with this development, an initiative was formed to include Johnie's Broiler in the official list of California monuments.

However, without a permit, construction workers began demolishing the building on Sunday, January 7, 2007. The police stopped the work at short notice. Nevertheless, the damage was already very high. A citizens' group was formed with the aim of reconstruction. The ruin was restored with a $ 900,000 grant from the City of Downey using many of the original parts. A franchisee of the hamburger chain Bob's Big Boy reopened the diner on October 19, 2009 under the name “Bob's Big Boy Broiler”.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Claudia Luther: Paul B. Clayton, 91; Designed Downey Drive-In Coffee Shop That Was a Car Culture Hot Spot. In: The Los Angeles Times , February 19, 2005.
  2. ↑ Learn more about the history on Bob's Big Boy Broiler website . , accessed March 18, 2018.
  3. ↑ Projects: Bob's Big Boy Broiler. In: DowneyCA.org (English); Bob's Big Boy Broiler in Downey from “License to Drive” In: IamNotaStalker.com , September 20, 2011 (blog).

Coordinates: 33 ° 56 ′ 51 ″  N , 118 ° 8 ′ 50 ″  W.