reveal an earlier decade’s vision of the future

You can get a glimpse of the 1950s vision of the future by visiting a coffee shop along Los Angeles’ commercial strips. The shops’ daring roofs sweep out over panoramic glass walls and lush plantings. Jazzy signs hang overhead with names as bright as neon. In the ‘50s and ‘60s, these shops spread the Space Age style across the nation from their birthplace in the car culture of Southern California as local chains grew. In Los Angeles, car washes, bowling alleys and even the Theme Building at Los Angeles International Airport shared the style.

Giant boomerang roofs, gleaming stainless steel fixtures, brightly colored ceramic-tile surfaces were big and bold and exciting enough to grab customers far down the street. Architects named the eye-catching, flamboyant style “Googie,” after the original Googie’s restaurant on Sunset Boulevard at Crescent Heights Boulevard.

Today many have faded into memories, like Clock’s, Coffee Dan’s, Henry’s, Romeo’s Times Square, Donly’s, Huddle’s, Hody’s, Dimy’s, Carolina Pines Jr. The last of the originals are fast disappearing, remodeled or demolished to make way for new styles. But enough remain to remind us what our future once looked like.

Pann’s--at the junction of La Tijera Boulevard, Centinela Avenue and La Cienega Boulevard, Inglewood. One of the best intact examples of the 1950s style. The lush garden has almost enveloped the large terraced gravel roof, something like a Cubist turtle shell. Inside, the Atomic Age ceramic, metal and plastic fixtures set off the rugged cave-like walls. Owners say they are maintaining its original style.

Kerry’s--14846 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks. Ceramic tile and multicolored plastic globes highlight this modest but airy coffee shop. The slanting pylons along the front once lighted up from within.

Tiny Naylor’s--12056 Ventura Blvd., Studio City. Though remodeled with wood paneling inside and afflicted with the ‘70s diagonal wood design outside, the original ceramic tile canopies held aloft on jaunty diagonal legs show off the structural gymnastics of the style. Restored, it could be a real trend-setter. Naylor ran a waffle shop in the Bay Area before opening drive-ins in Los Angeles.

Bob’s Big Boy--Riverside Drive at Alameda Avenue, Toluca Lake. A low wing, highlighted by a concave sweep of glass, contrasts with the tall, original sign, a billboard made into elegant architecture with superb graphics. See it at dusk. Bob Wian, the “Bob” of Bob’s Big Boy, started his chain with a small diner and a big double-decker burger in the mid-30s in Glendale. Penguin--Lincoln Boulevard at Olympic Boulevard, Santa Monica. Under the obligatory jutting roof lies one of the best-preserved interiors. There, period penguins parade in plastic partitions.

McDonald’s Drive-In--10207 Lakewood Blvd., Downey. This must-see gem is the oldest McDonald’s in the country--the second built--and looks exactly as it did when it opened Aug. 18, 1953. Only a few of these golden-arch stands remain in the entire country, and they’re going fast. Out in San Bernardino, the McDonald brothers opened their first self-service-style hamburger stand in 1948. Although not a coffee shop, this prototype shop, which no longer is a McDonald’s, shared the bold geometric shapes and gleaming surfaces of the coffee shop motif.

Ship’s Culver City--Overland Avenue at Washington Boulevard, Culver City. The first Ship’s, a dress rehearsal for the lamented Westwood Ship’s, is more of a modern ranch house than a rocket port, but it has the same ultramodern mix of Formica/wood/terrazzo/plastic finishes and fixtures inside. The rocket-ship sign is classic.

Norm’s--La Cienega Boulevard near Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles. One of the best maintained of the early Norm’s, although the interior is remodeled. The giant roof trusses create an unmistakable arrow pointing to Norm’s; the sign unifies the design.

Googie’s--Olive Street at Fifth Street, Los Angeles. The second Googie’s. The style was known for its eye-catching roofs, and with great ingenuity, there is a roof on the first floor of a five-story building.

The Wichstand--Slauson Avenue at Overhill Drive, Los Angeles. The off-kilter kinetic shapes of Atomic Age architecture at their best. It originally had drive-in carhop service and an outdoor patio.