From the photo, and judging only its external appearance, Johnny Rocket's looks like a a "classic" White Castle with a Mel's Diner "overlay" -- which is kind of a nice look, actually.

Judging from the White Castle outlets that I'm familiar in NYC, it seems to me that the chain either overdoes, or sometimes underdoes, the "hygienic" white tile look. Their outlets strike me as being too cold and sterile (when clean) or like unclean gas station restrooms (when not clean). The two outlets that stick out in my mind are two "new" ones (at least they were new when I was last there in the mid-1970s!!!) that had, if I remember correctly, stainless steel sit-down tables that were bolted to the floor. (It was kind of like what I imagine the autopsy room in a morgue to be like.)

Both were in nice mid-1970s neighborhoods, by the way. One of them was opposite Fordham University in the Bronx (situated on the boulevard that separates Fordham University, which has a very handsome campus, and "Belmont," a terrific low-scaled working class urban neighborhood -- the Bronx's "Little Italy") and the other one was in the pleasant, busy neighborhood shopping district of Bay Ridge (another nice working class neighbhorhood) and it was used for a scene in the movie "Saturday Night Fever."

- - - - - - -

Regarding "theme park" design.

Basically I see myself as a defender of "theme park" design, which I see as being accessible and truly meaningful design that is populist/anti-elitist. Certainly theme park design is better than "no design" (like unadorned brick warehouses) and in my opinion it's often even better than pretentious avant-gardist "high" design.

However, I also do have certain reservations and misgivings, which especially apply to the use of theme-park design by chain stores.

One of the problems with theme park designs, either chain or independent, is that the forms that are being used (e.g., external window shutters, mansard roofs, etc.) are often divorced from the functions that originally inspired them (e.g., the window shutters are not working shutters, but just a theme design element that has been tacked on to the outside of a building). So, part of what actually made these forms originally delightful, clever and beautiful has been taken away. (In other words, part of the "beauty" of working window shutters, their metal "tiebacks," etc., is the fact that they've been designed to actually "work.")

Furthermore, once the form (e.g., the form of the external window shutter) no longer has to perform a function, the original proportions of the design element (which once contributed to their functionality) often seems to wind up being distorted -- and no longer truly beautiful.

- - - - - -

Some examples in addition to window shutters that come to mind:

1) The genuine Art Deco theater that used to be on Eighth St./University Place that was remodeled by NYU into an "ersatz" Art Deco "in-house" auditorium/cinema.

The new "Deco" inspired design is still probably better than if NYU had re-built it 100% along avant-gardist modern principles (instead of just having some trendy touches here and there), but it is still not as "good" (in my opinion) as the Art Deco design of the original building.

2) There also used to be a spectacular Art Moderne ballroom, low-rise office building on the northwest corner of 42nd St. and Seventh Ave.

The original building had along its second floor (if I remember correctly) a spectacular line of French Doors set in blue glass. When it was torn down as part of the 42nd Redevelopment, a much larger imitation of this facade was built on the western end of the block. But this imitation has no relation, I believe, to any interior function and has none of the charm of the original -- it's an overblown design and the gigantic windows are just decoration and aren't meant to work (the originals were scaled to human proportions and presumably originally worked).

- - - - -

What's the difference between good theme architecture (e.g., although I think the McKim, Mead and White Pennsylvania Station is very much overrated, I'd still call it good theme archtitecture) and bad theme architecture?

I think in good theme architecture, the forms are carefully and creatively rethought to enhance the modern day architecural/design program. In bad theme architecture (like the French Doors on the northeast corner of 42nd and Eight Ave.) this isn't done.

With regard to chain stores, it seems to me that chain stores -- especially these days -- tend to be highly formulaic and therefore they are unlikely to use architecture, theme architecture or not, in a flexible and inspired way. However, my guess is that the smaller chains of slower-paced yesteryear (e.g., Howard Johnson's, Ebinger's [correct name?], Horn and Hardart's Automat, Schraft's, Woolworth's, Lowe's movie theaters, etc.) were probably less formulaic and more creative in their use of design, theme or not.

- - - - -

P.S. -- Just yesterday I was in my old neighborhood of Jamaica, Queens, and took some pictures of a very good example, in my opinion, of theme architecture -- an "Independence Hall/Tara" bank branch that I believe was originally built in the late 1940s/early 1950s for the "Federal Savings Bank."

Howard Johnson's also built a beautiful -- and spectacular -- Federal-style Howard Johnson's in nearby Rego Park. It was torn down in the early 1970s(?), but when it was built to accomodate those on their way to/from the 1939 World's Fair, it was the largest Howard Johnson's ever built. Unfortunately, I never got a chance to go in it, but it was a Howard Johnson's I very much wanted to visit.

I also liked what I saw of the more abstract "50's modern" versions of the Howard Johnson's "neo-colonial" theme.

Posted by: Benjamin Hemric on April 10, 2006 8:28 PM

I had no idea Waddles had become Hooters!

There were other problems besides the menu and general style. The freeway came along, practically over the top of the place. Jantzen Beach, which was once an amusement park, morphed into a minor shopping center, then a big box store enclave and a huge boat moorage for people who live on their boats. The whole neighborhood went from family to cruisin' singles.

Two other classics in Portland were the Tick-Tock (or was that Tik-Tok) which was a real rock-around-the-clock place, and a hamburger joint way up in the top of the West Hills called the Skyline. When I left in '99, the burgers were still classic but the place was moldering.

Prairie Mary

Posted by: Mary Scriver on April 10, 2006 8:45 PM

Benjamin, thankfully, Bay Ridge still have non-chain diners, like one Bridge View Diner, looking directly onto the panorama of Verrazzano - and they have salmon+stainless theme going on, along with white vinyl upholstered seats.

And yes, that's burger and fries on the picture!

Posted by: Tat on April 10, 2006 10:29 PM

It seems even the Irish can share in the nostalgia, http://www.eddierockets.ie/.

Posted by: Erroneous on April 11, 2006 1:21 AM






Post a comment

Name:


Email Address:


URL:


Comments:


Remember your info?