Reno Googie Motel Signs

Lucky enough to spend a few days in Reno for my kids volleyball tournament. Record high temps everyday at 104 to 106. Braved the streets one day to shoot some of the great old Googie motel signs. Many of these will be gone soon.

The 7/11

The Horse Shoe

A few from the Keno.

The City Center next door.

The Ace.

The Capri

One of my favorites, the Coed Lodge.

The Donner Inn.

The Castaway Inn (Tiki?)

The Flamingo.

The Fireside Inn.

The El Ray - on its way out.

The Star of Reno next door.

These are ready for the dozer.

Heart of Town.

And the Golden West next door.

The In Town.

Another favorite, the Mardi Gras,

Silver Dollar.

Sands,

Stardust.

Star.

Thunderbird.

Reno Royal.

Reno Riviera.

Rancho Sierra,

Olympic.

Mystery - this one must have been cool.

Monte Carlo

Sundance,

Lido.

Coach Inn.

The Wonder Lodge.

Midtown Motel and Bar.

Time Zone

Townsite.

The Bonanza Inn.

The Carriage Inn.

The Crest Inn - which used to be The Tropics.

Gatekeeper Inn.

DC

So cool, thanks for taking the time to take pics and post.

Awesome! But what's a Googie?

On 2013-07-04 20:18, TikiTacky wrote:
Awesome! But what's a Googie?

Googie architecture is a form of modern architecture, a subdivision of futurist architecture influenced by car culture, jets, the Space Age, and the Atomic Age

Originating in Southern California during the late 1940s and continuing approximately into the mid-1960s, Googie-themed architecture was popular among motels, coffee houses and gas stations. The school later became widely known as part of the Mid-Century modern style, elements of which represent the populuxe aesthetic,[attribution needed] as in Eero Saarinen's TWA Flight Center. The term "Googie" comes from a now defunct coffee shop and cafe built in West Hollywood.

DC

Great pics DC. Thanks for all of the legwork. It's great to see so many vintage signs. I have seen many of the survivors here in Kzoo fall to the wreaking ball as of late. One that was saved was the Douglas Drive In sign. The sign is now in the Henry Ford museum. I had been to that drive in before it was closed a few times. Here's a pic of the sign and thanks again.

Thanks guys, it was a fun searching for the signs. Many of the motels are now "affordable housing" and a bit sketch.

How about a Googie wedding chapel

And the Gold N Silver Inn restaurant while we are at it.

I had breakfast and lunch here. Featured on Drive-Ins, Dinners and Dives. Open 24/7 for 57 years!

DC

My wife married her first husband at Chapel of the Bells. Ah, the young and naive. :)

Great collection of signage, DC. Now that's how I remember Reno! Good to see so much of it is left.

Thanks for that enjoyable signage drive-by.

WOW! Just....wow! I love it!!

Love it, Dusty!

Great stuff!

Thanks for posting.

And where are all the night shots??? Want.

Thanks DC, great stuff! That can be a lot of work gathering pics like that, not to mention the strange looks people give you.

For me, when I've taken pics like that, there's a feeling like time is standing still. There might be some rust and decay, but somehow with the atmosphere of these artifacts and the apparent attitudes of people who are around them on a daily basis, it just feels like everything's kinda frozen in time. But then when you come back at some later time and see changes, it feels like the previous impression was actually just a deception, and in fact you captured something that is already beyond reach.

Dunno if that'll all make sense to anyone, but anyway that's the feeling that these kind of pictures remind me of. Makes me want to go take pics, even of local stuff around our own neighborhood that's been on the list for a while. Not too long ago, a local bar that I pass every day driving to work was doing an exterior renovation. They removed something that had been blocking a wall with a great giant mural of a cocktail. It was the kind of thing you'd never see nowadays, and it was also cool to see the signs of age on it too. I decided I'd go back to take pictures on the weekend. When I drove up on Saturday morning, they were painting over it, literally covering the last corner as I jumped out of my car. Sometimes you just can't beat "progress," but it's nice when you can capture some of the "before" anyway.

-Randy

On 2013-07-08 06:55, Swanky wrote:
And where are all the night shots??? Want.

Swanky,

Did not venture into these areas at night. Many of the signs appeared to be non-operational at this stage. But I did find some some night shots online.

DC

Heyya Dustycajun,
Mahalos for your post! You speak another language we're fluent in - Googie! Thanks for the very impressive collection of roadside signs you found there in Reno and we're glad you had the time to photograph them. There's a wonderful book out that presents the history of the roadside sign, titled "American Signs: Form and Function on Route 66," by Lisa Mahar. It explains how roadside signage, mostly those of motels and restaurants, evolved in design from the 1930's through the 1970's - their concept and influence (cultural and economic trends), typestyle, color choice, form, composition, context, and placement. It's packed with plenty of images that will transport you back in time. Definitely a worthwhile book to read.

Not Reno but Googie.
Great thread!

[ Edited by: tikiskip 2014-05-01 12:54 ]