Johnie's Coffee Shop opening for ONE DAY ONLY!

Southern California Googie fans -- ModCom's got something very exciting brewing for October 2. By the kindness of the neighboring 99¢ Only Store, which now owns the space, legendary Johnie's Coffee Shop will be open for a special ONE DAY ONLY event.

Johnie's is a Googie landmark on Wilshire Blvd in the heart of Los Angeles. Johnie's was designed by Armet & Davis, the pioneers of Googie style (Armet & Davis also dabbled in tiki, and are responsible for the blueprints in the BOT of the "Hale Tiki", which later evolved into the Kona Kai in Philadelphia). Architect Eldon Davis will be in attendance as a special guest; this is the first time that Johnie's has been open to the public in five years.

Here's the official website for the event:
http://www.johnieswilshire.org/

Great web site design! Who did it?

Johnnie's is truly a Googie jewel of LA.

I used to go there several times a month for lunch as I work walking distance away. While saddend by its closing, it has been repainted, is maintained in good shape and is often used for commericals. It always looked better from the outside, and one would never go there for the cuisine alone.

I'll be there (hopefully) for the 1-day only.

On 2005-09-22 17:57, christiki295 wrote:
It always looked better from the outside, and one would never go there for the cuisine alone.

A friend of mine used to live a few blocks away from Johnie's Coffee Shop. I think the windows were blacked out, or maybe wooded up, I just know I was never able to look in. The building alone just made me have to stop and try to see what was inside. For those of you who can't make it to the event you might want to check out the movies...The Big Lebowski and Miracle Mile, some scenes were shot in Johnie's, there were quite a few interior and exterior scenes in Miracle Mile. Thanks for the heads up Humuhumu.
If anyone from TC goes I hope they share the images here!

[ Edited by: DawnTiki 2005-09-22 23:12 ]

I happened across Johnie's last month on my first trip to LA while in the neighborhood for the La Brea tar pits and the Tut exhibit. Imagine my disappointment when I found out it was closed.

Broken places in the blinds inside allowed for the following interior views. Sorry for the quality; the windows were dirty.

Looking from the back of the restaurant to the front. Gotta love those googierangs....anyone know if they are original?

The counter at the front of the restaurant, shot from the front window.

Looking west across the front of the restaurant from an east window.

A closer look at that dog mural.

http://www.thelope.blogspot.com

[ Edited by: tikijackalope 2005-09-23 03:08 ]

i love you honey bunny.

you want a toe? I can get you a toe!

"Excuse me, sir. Could you please keep your voices down? "

Yeah, we shoot commercials and music vids there all the time. It's a shame it's only for one day, wish they'd keep it open for good.

A closer look at that dog mural.

Under THAT mural is the original mural, which was a Times Square mural with built up wood buildings. If you go to the website and zoom in on the one original picture from 1955, you can sort of see it in the backgroud.

On 2005-09-22 16:39, thejab wrote:
Great web site design! Who did it?

This guy donated his time: http://www.pizzabytheslice.com/

No...I'm not the guy.

What about those three blue boomerang or chevron-like things on the wall? Are they original? They are cut oddly; each is missing a different piece suggestive of all three having been displayed in a row in a confined space...as if they were supposed to look like three moving shapes glimpsed (but not in their entirety) through an opening narrower than the height of a complete shape. This makes me wonder if they were transferred from another googie sign or structure.

If in the mood for googie Coffee Shops, I highly recommend one (of the few) which is still open, just a few minutes away: Norms on La Cienega, just north of Melrose:

http://you-are-here.com/googie/googie10.html

With Ship's (closed for a parking lot) and Johnnie's (torn -down for a parking lot - except for the sign), the clock is ticking on Norm's.

My expectation: torn down for a minimall.

[ Edited by: christiki295 2005-09-28 18:04 ]

I attended the Wilshire Blvd Architectural tour sponsored by the LA Conservancy yesterday, and I had a blast. I drive through parts of Wilshire, but never appreciated the different buildings and designs along the street.

I stopped at 3 out of 6 sites alongs the street: Elks Club/Park Plaza Hotel (art deco?), the Bullocks/Southwest University (art deco), and ended at the Johnie's coffeeshop (googie modern).

Johnie's was the best part. The volunteers were dressed up like servers in a diner. They gave out pie and coffee! There were a couple of minor celebs: Alan Hess who wrote several books on Googie, and Eldon Davis, of Armet and Davis, who was the architects that designed many of the Googie architecture in SoCal. If you're really into Googie, Armet and Davis are HUGE. They had pictures from the past, show in 3D, samples of original menus, and a tv showing scenes of movies filmed at the location.

Johnies is such a great location. I really hope it dosen't get demolished, perhaps even restored and reopened as a coffeeshop.

Hey Paranoid, I didn't realize you were there! (Or were you not there on my shift?) I was Waitress Trixie trying to shovel out as many pieces of pie as I could. I don't know which side of the counter was more fun although I do wish I could've seen the Bullocks Wilshire (I have a 50s cocktail dress with that tag!) Anyway, I had the great fortune to have my photo snapped by 2 news photogs. One ended up in the LA Times the following day by Damon Winter:

Here it is in full color:

And one by James Bunoan of the OC Weekly (My lipstick break):

It was great to see all the reactions of different visitors. Some people thought the place was really open for business while the older ladies were impressed that my nails matched my lipstick (as they ought to). An incredible amount of hard work went into that event by a lot of people (not to mention elbow grease to make the place presentable). I just hope I gave everyone enough pie and coffee!

[ Edited by: vintagegirl 2005-10-09 23:52 ]

Sorry I missed that event -- almost made it though. I remember going to Johnie's when it was still a working diner some time back.

It occasionally pops up in movies as most everyone knows. One of the most memorable to me was MIRACLE MILE (1988).

Vintage Girl, personally taking Johnnie's back to its original flair!

Vintage Girl you look great. Nice pictures.