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Googie-Style Diner Having Trouble Getting Its Historic Landmark Status
Photo by LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr
The historic Johnie's coffee shop on the corner of Wilshire and South Fairfax isn't going to be named a historic monument just yet. There have been some snags in the plan that have halted the process.
Preservationists and architecture enthusiasts alike are pushing for the naming of the building, which was designed by late Eldon Davis and his partner Louis Armet. The two were the architects behind the coffee shop, which has since become an icon in terms of the 50s style design. Together the two formed Aldon & Davis, which have become known as the Frank Lloyd Wright of '50s coffee shops.
Says theL.A. Times:
Then, days before an Aug. 15 Cultural Heritage Commission hearing to recommend historic status for the now-closed 1956 restaurant, with its Space Age neon signage and jutting rooftop, the city acknowledged that it has been sending legal notices of the proposed designation to the wrong address. That's a problem because once declared a landmark, property owners face legal restrictions on future alterations of a structure. If necessary, the Cultural Heritage Commission is empowered to step in to delay or even halt a planned demolition.
A new hearing is set for November 5.
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