Friday, July 31, 2009

Fox Westwood Village Theatre - Los Angeles, California

961 Broxton Avenue - The Fox Westwood Village Theatre opened in 1931 and was designed by Percy Park Lewis. It is located in the charming Westwood Village area of Los Angeles next to UCLA. The theater is still open and is currently run by the Mann Theatres chain. The theatre shines like a beacon luring you down the street. I happened across it by chance as I was driving down Wilshire Boulevard. I caught a glimpse of the tower several blocks away and instantly recognized it from pictures I had seen. Of course, I had to turn around and go back.






Thursday, July 30, 2009

Polk Hotel, Haines City, Florida

800-810 Hinson Avenue - The Polk Hotel (also called the Palm Crest Hotel) was built in 1925. The structure was designed by Stevenson & Cameron, Wallick, Frederick. It was added to the National Register Of Historic Places in 1994. The building is currently home to the Landmark Baptist College. It's easy for this building to grab attention as it towers over everything else around it and is visible for some distance. According to the college website the building has been refurbished. I have no idea what the inside is like but the outside looks like it could use more work and by someone with an eye for historic details. Overall it's in better shape than many other buildings of the same period that I've seen.













Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Andy's Drive In Restaurant - Winter Haven, Florida

703 3rd Street SW - I have many fond memories of Andy's. Andy's was where I had my first real cherry coke and many childhood evenings were spent at Andy's Igloo with a tasty ice cream treat. Anyway, the building itself isn't anything great but it does have a great neon sign. I should have popped back by in the daylight and gotten another picture but it didn't occur to me at the time (perhaps on my next trip).





Saturday, July 25, 2009

Spreckels Organ Pavilion - San Diego, California

The Pavilion is one of several buildings in Balboa Park which were built for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition. For more information on the Pavilion and Balboa Park visit www.balboapark.org.








Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Biggar's Antiques - Chamblee, Georgia

5576 Peachtree Road - This was a fun place crammed full of interesting treasures. This post is not really about the structure but about the great signs which adorn the building and it's property. My favorite of these is the Franklin Motel sign from the first, second, and last pictures.













Monday, July 20, 2009

New Regent Theater - Springfield, Ohio

117 South Limestone Street - The New Regent Theater opened on August 16, 1920 and was designed by C. Howard Crane. These photos are from March of this year and like many others of it's kind, this theater was sitting empty. Information on Springfield preservation can be found here: www.restorespringfield.org.



Elvis' Honeymoon Hideaway, Palm Springs, California

1350 Ladera Circle - This is the home where Elvis and Priscilla Presley honeymooned in 1967. These pictures were taken in October of 2007 while on an architectural tour of Palm Springs. They were taken as we went by in a van which is why the pictures are not as detailed and there is a little bit of reflection off the van windows. It's a super cool house reminiscent of a spacecraft. The house is open for tours by appointment.  Also known as the House of Tomorrow, the home was built in 1960 for owner/developer Bob Alexander.  The house was designed by the firm of Plamer & Krisel.