Postwar roadside culture
Googie architecture made everyday roadside businesses into conspicuous landmarks. Associated with postwar Southern California, its expressive forms suited coffee shops, car washes, and other places competing for attention along busy commercial streets.
The 1966 car wash on Ventura Boulevard in Encino provides a striking example. Angular steel beams, inverted triangular forms, and a starburst create a dramatic framework around a practical service business. The building and its signs work together: the architecture itself helps advertise what happens inside.
What to look for
- Exaggerated rooflines and exposed geometry
- Starbursts and other optimistic modern motifs
- A close relationship between building and sign