History of Googie Architecture

If you have ever seen the 1950′s sedan or bowling mark from the same era, you are probably familiar with the architecture style of Googie. Googie architecture, which is often called in mid-century modern, began in the late 1940′s and early 1950′s. The name comes from a cafe called Googies in Los Angeles, which was designed by John Lautner was one of the first examples of this style of architectural design.

Googie design is sleek, futuristic architecture, strongly depends on the space age and the atomic age. While the world has become obsessed with the international space race between the U.S. and Russia, science fiction, and the car culture, design began to change in the light of that obsession. Googie design often depict movement, vertical roof, and the use of geometric and curved forms. One of the most famous example of Googie design is the Seattle Space Needle. Built in 1962 for the World’s Fair, Space Needle is a classic example of space-age architecture. In fact, the project was based on the architectural concept of a giant balloon and a flying saucer, and objects that convey movement and Futurism. More space age design widely used in architecture Googie include boomerangs, atoms, parabolas, and other conventions that were used to characterize the country’s obsession with futuristic design and futuristic thinking. Much of the architecture and signage in Las Vegas, was inspired by Googie design and many important buildings of this architectural style can still be seen today.