What better epitomizes the visionary futuristic-utopia of the 20th century than the Jetsons? Created in 1962 the prime-time animated sitcom took place in 2062… looking 100 years into the future. Besides the futuristic gadgets and gizmos-surely ahead of their time-the architectural influence is clearly that of Googie design. Including “upswept roofs, curvaceous, geometric shapes, and bold use of glass, steel and neon, Googie was also characterized by space-age designs that depict motion, such as boomerangs, flying saucers, atoms and parabolas, and free-form designs such as ‘soft’ parallelograms and the ubiquitous artist’s-palette motif.” (Source)

Two prominent Googie designs clearly inspired the architectural structure used in the Jetsons series. Saarinen’s TWA terminal and the Seattle Space Needle. Worth noting is that both structures opened in 1962, the same year the Jetsons originally aired. In one of the 24 episodes, “A Date with Jet Screamer”, Judy Jetson is taken on her date with Jet Screamer to The Fun Pad, a space-age amusement park with Ferris Wheels, roller-coasters, and spinning rides. Coincidentally, Astro Land on Coney Island opened in 1962. It’s really quite rare and interesting that these architectural structures and their timelines, being so technically and aesthetically advanced for there time, would be simultaneously depicted in a prime-time animated sitcom—truly visionary.

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With all the running around preparing for the holidays and shopping for that perfect gift, I always find myself exhausted by New Year’s and once again… no new calendar! Usually by the time I get around to getting one I’ve missed at least January. But not this year! I’ve found some gorgeous mid-century modern calendars – some even free! The best one (I think) is the beautiful letterpress calendar produced by Pistachio Press. It is printed on 100% tree-free cotton paper using environmentally conscious studio practices. Each page is printed by hand on an antique Vandercook No. 4 letterpress. This is the kind of calendar that you want to frame the images when the year is over.

Another fabulous calendar is from Blue Ant Studio. This one is a free downloadable calendar showcasing modern furnishings such as chairs, lamps, and lots of other modern goodness.

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The origins of “Googie” design can be traced back to the actual coffee shop designed by architect John Lautner and by the works of his contemporaries. Appearing first in commercial buildings and used primarily in designing restaurants, coffee shops, motels, gas stations and bowling alleys, as well as schools, churches, shopping centers and airline terminals, this style of design was directed at the masses for commercial purposes. In Los Angeles, where Googie began, the 1930’s brought a large influx of the automobile and service industries. So the design aspects of Googie were heavily influenced by America’s new car culture.

Owning a car meant freedom for the old idea of a central “downtown” and the sprawling suburbs of L.A. grew in every direction. By the 1950’s everyone owned at least one car and fast food drive-ins were appearing in neighborhoods and on roadsides everywhere. Bold, dynamic architecture was used to attract customers whizzing by on roads and highways—to catch their eye—beckoning them off the street. Drive-ins (diners, movie theaters, gas stations) had advanced this car-oriented architectural design. They were essentially architectural billboards advertising the business to vehicles on the road. By using distinct styling, high energy silhouettes, large pylons with elevated signs, bold neon letters and circular parking lots the architecture worked to make the most of strip malls and other roadside location while allowing customers easy access from their cars.

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The recent exhibit of Deborah Aschheim’s drawings and architectural installations at Edward Cella A+A focused attention to the iconic modernist landmarks of Southern California that once represented the future. Aschheim’s works documented these structures, once the symbols of Southern California’s utopian dreams, which are now forlorn, crumbling commercial towers, buildings, and centers. Treated for the most part as “unacclaimed” monuments of a distant era, Ascheim described the buildings as a “visual gulf between then and now.”

“When I was growing up, the future was a limitless possibility, jet-aged, space-aged, techno-utopia. ‘Modern’ meant new. Now, modern means old, and the future I grew up with seems dated, irresponsible, and obsolete,” claimed Aschheim.

Aschheim made several visits to each site, and she created her unique works over time. Aschheim explained, “I have been urgently seeking out the buildings, flying and driving and taking trains to them before they are erased. I don’t want to go inside the buildings. I circle them, trying to understand them before they are removed or renovated into the present. It is a strange way to feel about architecture. I am drawing them and building them, somewhat inaccurately and not to scale, entombed in imaginary scaffolding. I am the same age as the buildings. It is a kind of self-portrait.”

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