I think this relates to Consumer awareness, because many of us have felt broken hearted when our favorite places are torn down to make way for a bad idea. I remember when Googie (Atomic) Art came into being, and I cringed when it began to vanish way too soon. I admire people who are trying to preserve, and revive it. http://www.spaceagecity.com/googie/index.htm Click on Gallery and have a look around. Why did we take it for granted, and think it would be here forever ? The buildings of today are erected almost overnight, and many are ugly. Grey and yellow....boxes with garish white lighting...flat colors, and bland....a few brave souls today are bringing back class, but the building code police probably frown on innovative, and different. (It threatens the "homogenised USA" look.) Checkers, and a few chains copy the old styles. To their credit, many towns actually make people conform to a certain retro look. Taos, New Mexico won't allow big signs in front of Wal Mart or McDonalds. (good) Plus, many tourists don't want same old sign pollution, and fast food everywhere they go. I like what we call "affordable class for the every day man" Build it, and they will come.
I live in the Lubbock area, and there is wuite a few googie stlye and Dolly Mac style homes and businesses here. I love the style, and I wish they would go back to it. It comes from a small time when people actually were creative with their building designs. I've also noticed alot of commercials using those homes, so who knows... maybe some architechs will wisen up and bring it back. I would have bought a house, but even for the ones that needed repair, they where still out of my price range. Oh well I'm content witht he house I bought. But if I ever build in the future... Googie is the way to go.
