Copy signed by author Alan Hess. Armet Davis Newlove’s presentation and design development drawings of their famous restaurants (including Norm’s, Googie’s, and Bob’s Big Boy) are classic examples of Midcentury Modern architecture and graphics. This book compiles a wide selection of this important office’s work from the 1940s to the 1970s.

“A highly visual monograph of plans and concept drawings from the Armet Davis Newlove firm, the creator of what became known as ‘Googie Modern.'”

In Googie Modern: Architectural Drawings of Armet Davis Newlove, author Michael Murphy takes readers inside the private archives of the forward-thinking trio dubbed the “fathers of Googie.” Inspiring not just artists and filmmakers but the public at large, their futuristic coffee shops and restaurants made dining out a space-age experience, just as man was ready to walk on the moon. Armet Davis Newlove’s architecture captured the optimistic and forward-thinking mood in post-war America and set the bar for what would become Mid-Century Modern style.

The firm’s high-concept designs shaped Southern California and then took off across the American landscape, giving the US innovative, practical, and gorgeous monuments of everyday life. Each remarkable rendering demonstrates the passion and precision that went into every Armet Davis Newlove creation. Googie Modern is itself a monument to the excitement and optimism that once lined the streets of mid-century America.

Fair Market Value: $50

Generously Donated by Alan Hess