THE IMPACT OF THE AUTOMOBILE
When automobiles first gained popularity in the 1920s, they functioned to move people and goods to different locations faster and more efficiently than by wagon or train. But along with this reconceptualization of movement, came a vision of new freedoms, freedoms to explore the country on the new roads. Automobile travel provided just that -- travel. Until this point, people remained fairly immobile unless they took a trip by train or boat. Automobiles provided a novel, efficient, fairly inexpensive way to explore the country. The journey and the sights thrilled the motorists and promoted movement. But the Depression put a damper on this carefree attitude and World War II decreased automobile production. By the 1950s the combination of consumer demand and new production reinvigorated American car culture. The price of gasoline fell and the affordability of cars increased. The War as well as the increased number of motorists, induced the construction of a cross-continental roadway system. Approved in 1956 by Congress, the National Defense and Interstate Highway Act created 42,000 miles of four lane highway. More cars and more roads would theoretically follow the spirit of the 1920s with expansion to a variety of places; however, the culture of the 1950s, proved to be both limited and limiting. Roadside architecture, as characterized by billboards, diners, motels, and gas stations, demonstrates that while there was room for variation in all aspects of life, on the roads in the 1950s destination served as the primary interest, rather than how to get there in the journey of the 1920s. The individualism and wild creativity that went into gas stations, diners, curio shops, motels, and billboards developed into conformity with the large fast interstate highways. This development led to the demise of such unique road systems as the famed Route 66 and its cousins. In general, MOE believes there is a nostalgia for that individualism of roadside architectureShell station, 1950's-style, before uniformityand the truly interesting, friendly characters who served you dinner, pumped your gas, or sold you trinkets along the route. The days of driving simply for pleasure, without a necessary specific destination, spelled the beginning of the end for an entire culture of roadside architecture and human interaction.Now, the uniforms of employees and the general uniformity and conformity and sameness that comes with corporate ownershipop and chains of establishments replaces those crusty, informal characters who knew your name and with whom you could have a plain genuine conversation. Certainly, that joy in itself is lamentable.With the advent of new highways and pleasure travelling by car and motorcycle, naturally came the need for food, fuel, lodging, and businesspersons saw the obvious advantage of roadside advertising by way of the billboard. "Stop here, dudes." The popularity and success of the Burma-Shave signs developed into large, often gaudy billboards which advertised everything from cars to detergents, food, household products and refreshments.Colonial design of gas stationBillboards mirrored issues faced by Americans as they tried to refocus after the war and a newfound freedom, leisure and family became the trend. For example, advertisers brightly colored most billboards, denoting a feeling of happiness. They often advertised cars and other material items as helpful in fulfilling the American dream.Billboards tied in the car with the "American Dream" Advertisements also clearly delineated the importance of family. A similar Ford ad shows two cars in the garage of an attractive home, with a caption that reads: The "drive" to get away from the city and civilization has always been part of the American ideal. Well before automobiles, wilderness and the open road provided the feeling of liberation and freedom, inherent in the American way of life. For example, the Oregon Trail provided a westerly route for pioneers for a number of years. Cowboys and pioneers of the West inspired this idea and then later, cars did too. Automobiles and highways gave more people the opportunity to take to the open road. The Dixie Highway gave early motorists this opportunity by meandering through towns in the north and south of middle America. However, when the roads changed, this opportunity did as well. While the travelers of the 1950s wanted to enjoy the same benefits of exploring the country as the earlier drivers, the standardized roadways prevented this. Travelers sped along straight roads that all looked the same, instead of enjoying the scenery and simplicity of the back roads. Only by getting off the new, larger roads could they enjoy the type of liberation and exploration felt by the earlier drivers. Conformity appeared on the roads. Yet this did not seem to matter to the motorists of the 1950s. These travelers only wanted to take advantage of their country and experience it for themselves. Nationalism and patriotism fueled this endeavor. The kind of freedom they looked for, they found in the destination, rather than the journey. Since more people could afford cars, more people were going, and thus more accommodations were necessary. This motivated the rise of roadside resorts and motels.THE MOTELS OF THE 1950'S More automobiles and "the open road" provided the sense of freedom to explore the country and, when people go somewhere, they need a place to stay. "By the late 1940s more than 86 percent of travelers were behind the wheels of their cars, and thus potential motel customers." It was through this idea that the standard motel began to prosper in the 1950s. The term "motel" combines the words "motorist" and "hotel." By the 1950s, multiple motel corporations developed to use the money and resources available. The smaller, quaint motor courts of the previous era became outdated and no longer had a place on the highways. Motel corporations, such as Howard Johnson's and Best Western capitalized on this and took over by spending time and money on the appearance and comfort of the motels. The unvarnished, obvious set up of the motel came to be the standard design and attracted customers. If, in your travels, you come across a place called the 'Bates Motel' and you see this warm inviting home up on the hill behind, keep on driving. Trust me on this!They designed the buildings to be practical and comfortable housing options for those away from home. While a few theme motels remained, even they took a more conservative approach in the 1950s. Larger roads and more travelers led to more potential customers. In order to consistently attract customers, motels took to referral chains and later to franchising. Referral chains consisted of a number of motels that would form a union and would refer customers to different motels within the union, thus insuring customers. Standards differed between participating motels so the franchising concept expanded. Franchises such as Super 8 and Holiday Inn, started small as a singular motel and then expanded across the interstates through the country. Franchising essentially put the smaller "Mom and Pop" places out of business. Motels and roadside resorts provided the ideal atmosphere for the 1950s family who wanted to get away from "suburbia" for a while and explore the country. The motels and resorts embodied part of the 1950s culture through this concept. After the war, people became much more residential and sedentary and thus embraced the idea of movement and exploration. Automobile travel continued to instill the feeling of affluence and freedom. Families of the era enjoyed this freedom by using the car as a means to explore the country, get away from the city, and enjoy each other's company. One can easily imagine a picture perfect family of four piled into a station wagon cruising down the road singing together. These families wanted a place to go and with the direct access provided by the interstate system, going more places with less time spent became a reality. Motels provided an appropriate place to spend the night. Driving for pleasure had grown so that it now provided a social benefit for the newly urbanized society by making a number of recreational facilities and such more accessible. The social benefits could have been the journey, the destination or the stops, along the way.A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN DINER Diners originated in Providence, Rhode Island in 1872, when Walter Scott began selling sandwiches, pie, and hot coffee from the back of a covered freight wagon. He operated at night; his customers were the growing numbers of night shift industrial workers and other night people who collected on the streets but couldn't get anything to eat after the restaurants closed. Scott's business was popular and profitable from the start. Others noticed the money-making potential of "night lunch wagons" and the diner industry was launched. Soon there were competing businesses operating not only in Providence but throughout the neighboring industrial New England states.1950's-style diner. Where else can our boys in blue get a coffee and doughnut at 4 a.m.! These early diners were horse-drawn wagons. The owners drove through the city, making rounds of factories and bars. Whenever the wagon stopped, crowds would gather and huddle around it to eat, sometimes in bad weather. Entrepreneur Sam Jones noticed this pattern and he entered the diner business with a great idea. In 1884, Jones opened a newly designed night lunch wagon in Worcester, Massachusetts. His wagon was a larger model and inside was a lunch counter with stools. His customers could come inside and sit down to eat. His idea revolutionized the diner industry, and soon counters and stools became diner standards. T. H. Buckley was also a Worcester diner entrepreneur. He built a diner but soon realized that there was more money to be made in building and selling wagons than in operating them. He started the first diner manufacturing company and by 1892 his New England Lunch Wagon Company had built and sold over 75 wagons. At this time, successful diners were operating all over the industrial Northeast, but had not spread throughout the rest of the nation. Buckley's diner production business concentrated on this untapped market. He personally set up diners in over 275 towns across the country. Diners had traditionally operated only at night. By 1912, diner owners realized that if they got off the street they could stay open longer hours, attract new and different customers, and make more money. They began pulling their horse-drawn wagons into empty lots after their nightly rounds in order to continue business during the day. Soon their daytime locations took on importance. People could go to the diner instead of waiting for the diner to find them. Diners parked for good; the cars had become stationary but could still be moved if needed. With more permanent locations, diners could connect to city utilities for the first time. As a result, business and menus could expand. Signs advertised "Open 24 Hours" or "Eat Anytime." Diners had originated to serve the night time workforce, a population which was typically male. This "men only" reputation followed diners as they left the streets and became 24 hour restaurants. But by the 1920s, the workforce had changed to include women, and these women were not spending their money in diners. Diner owners had to redefine their image in order for diners to make a successful transition into the twentieth century. Subtle changes like landscaping, window boxes, and frosted glass were designed to attract female customers, but many women associated the stools and counter of diners with those of bars. Diner owners answered this problem by installing tables down the length of the counter. Signs advertising "booth service" were explicit invitations for women to come inside. This change revolutionized the industry again, making both booths and stools diner standards. In the 1950s, diner constituency changed again. Diner owners wanted to capture the family business. Children now had their own menus and were often rewarded for dragging their parents in with balloons or candy. To accommodate these larger crowds, diners grew. Separate annexes were built to house entrances, an expanded kitchen, or a larger dining area. Patrons could still sit at the counter but the short order cook was removed to the kitchen.< P>The current resurgence of public interest and diner popularity can be traced back to the late 19709s when Diners (John Baeder, 1978) and American Diner (Richard Gutman, 1979) were published. The importance of diners as an architectural form was first recognized by students of American popular culture. Only since the 1970s have diners become the subject of scholarly analysis by historic preservationists and historians. But diners have survived the test of time. They have reflected changes in style and adapted to changes in the economy. They remain popular because they are restaurants for the people.Evolution Of The Diner 1872-1918: Diners were born into the Gilded Age. The popular style of the period consisted of lush designs and heavy Victorian ornamentation. Even the relatively simple wooden diners had intricate exterior paint schemes and were decorated with pictures of landscapes, battles, or historic figures. 1919-1932: The 1920s saw the birth of Modernism as a reaction to the Victorian era. Function and efficiency were now prized over ornamentation. Transportation themes reflected the new automobile culture. Dining cars were given barrel roofs to resemble train cars. This design led to the modern misunderstanding that diners were originally train dining cars. Scientific advances of the time resulted in increased awareness of sanitation. This popularized the use of tile and enameled metal surfaces in diners, materials which gleamed and were easy to keep clean. 1933-1947: The function and efficiency of the 1920s remained important characteristics of diners in the 1930s and 1940s. Transportation design themes also continued, but now diners were built to look like airplanes and ships. The angular shapes of the past were smoothed out, rounded, and streamlined. Diners now were aerodynamic and looked ready for flight. 1948-1962: Shiny stainless steel was cheap and readily available after World War II. In diners it was applied liberally to almost every surface. The Space Age of the 1960s changed the look of diners again. Diners now were built to resemble rockets or futuristic space ports with zigzag rooflines and rows of blinking lights. 1963-1978: During this time period, diners started to lose popularity. They had become just another part of the landscape and were no longer seen as special. Many older diners were being remodeled or covered with brick to make them look like more traditional restaurants. Today, people can walk past a restaurant or other business without ever knowing that a diner lies hidden beneath the new facade. 1979-present: Diners are enjoying popularity once again. Diners are still being manufactured. Today people can order diner modules from catalogues. The modules can be mixed and matched to create customized, expensive, brand new diners. But many of the older diners are still around and in good shape due to the high quality of their craftsmanship. People have begun to preserve and restore them, and put the beautiful old diners back into service.
The journey and the sights thrilled the motorists and promoted movement. But the Depression put a damper on this carefree attitude and World War II decreased automobile production. By the 1950s the combination of consumer demand and new production reinvigorated American car culture. The price of gasoline fell and the affordability of cars increased. The War as well as the increased number of motorists, induced the construction of a cross-continental roadway system.
Approved in 1956 by Congress, the National Defense and Interstate Highway Act created 42,000 miles of four lane highway. More cars and more roads would theoretically follow the spirit of the 1920s with expansion to a variety of places; however, the culture of the 1950s, proved to be both limited and limiting. Roadside architecture, as characterized by billboards, diners, motels, and gas stations, demonstrates that while there was room for variation in all aspects of life, on the roads in the 1950s destination served as the primary interest, rather than how to get there in the journey of the 1920s.
The individualism and wild creativity that went into gas stations, diners, curio shops, motels, and billboards developed into conformity with the large fast interstate highways. This development led to the demise of such unique road systems as the famed Route 66 and its cousins. In general, MOE believes there is a nostalgia for that individualism of roadside architectureShell station, 1950's-style, before uniformity
and the truly interesting, friendly characters who served you dinner, pumped your gas, or sold you trinkets along the route. The days of driving simply for pleasure, without a necessary specific destination, spelled the beginning of the end for an entire culture of roadside architecture and human interaction.Now, the uniforms of employees and the general uniformity and conformity and sameness that comes with corporate ownershipop and chains of establishments replaces those crusty, informal characters who knew your name and with whom you could have a plain genuine conversation. Certainly, that joy in itself is lamentable.With the advent of new highways and pleasure travelling by car and motorcycle, naturally came the need for food, fuel, lodging, and businesspersons saw the obvious advantage of roadside advertising by way of the billboard. "Stop here, dudes." The popularity and success of the Burma-Shave signs developed into large, often gaudy billboards which advertised everything from cars to detergents, food, household products and refreshments.Colonial design of gas stationBillboards mirrored issues faced by Americans as they tried to refocus after the war and a newfound freedom, leisure and family became the trend. For example, advertisers brightly colored most billboards, denoting a feeling of happiness. They often advertised cars and other material items as helpful in fulfilling the American dream.Billboards tied in the car with the "American Dream" Advertisements also clearly delineated the importance of family. A similar Ford ad shows two cars in the garage of an attractive home, with a caption that reads: The "drive" to get away from the city and civilization has always been part of the American ideal. Well before automobiles, wilderness and the open road provided the feeling of liberation and freedom, inherent in the American way of life. For example, the Oregon Trail provided a westerly route for pioneers for a number of years. Cowboys and pioneers of the West inspired this idea and then later, cars did too. Automobiles and highways gave more people the opportunity to take to the open road. The Dixie Highway gave early motorists this opportunity by meandering through towns in the north and south of middle America. However, when the roads changed, this opportunity did as well. While the travelers of the 1950s wanted to enjoy the same benefits of exploring the country as the earlier drivers, the standardized roadways prevented this. Travelers sped along straight roads that all looked the same, instead of enjoying the scenery and simplicity of the back roads. Only by getting off the new, larger roads could they enjoy the type of liberation and exploration felt by the earlier drivers. Conformity appeared on the roads. Yet this did not seem to matter to the motorists of the 1950s. These travelers only wanted to take advantage of their country and experience it for themselves. Nationalism and patriotism fueled this endeavor. The kind of freedom they looked for, they found in the destination, rather than the journey. Since more people could afford cars, more people were going, and thus more accommodations were necessary. This motivated the rise of roadside resorts and motels.THE MOTELS OF THE 1950'S More automobiles and "the open road" provided the sense of freedom to explore the country and, when people go somewhere, they need a place to stay. "By the late 1940s more than 86 percent of travelers were behind the wheels of their cars, and thus potential motel customers." It was through this idea that the standard motel began to prosper in the 1950s. The term "motel" combines the words "motorist" and "hotel." By the 1950s, multiple motel corporations developed to use the money and resources available. The smaller, quaint motor courts of the previous era became outdated and no longer had a place on the highways. Motel corporations, such as Howard Johnson's and Best Western capitalized on this and took over by spending time and money on the appearance and comfort of the motels. The unvarnished, obvious set up of the motel came to be the standard design and attracted customers. If, in your travels, you come across a place called the 'Bates Motel' and you see this warm inviting home up on the hill behind, keep on driving. Trust me on this!They designed the buildings to be practical and comfortable housing options for those away from home. While a few theme motels remained, even they took a more conservative approach in the 1950s. Larger roads and more travelers led to more potential customers. In order to consistently attract customers, motels took to referral chains and later to franchising. Referral chains consisted of a number of motels that would form a union and would refer customers to different motels within the union, thus insuring customers.
The popularity and success of the Burma-Shave signs developed into large, often gaudy billboards which advertised everything from cars to detergents, food, household products and refreshments.Colonial design of gas station
Well before automobiles, wilderness and the open road provided the feeling of liberation and freedom, inherent in the American way of life. For example, the Oregon Trail provided a westerly route for pioneers for a number of years. Cowboys and pioneers of the West inspired this idea and then later, cars did too. Automobiles and highways gave more people the opportunity to take to the open road. The Dixie Highway gave early motorists this opportunity by meandering through towns in the north and south of middle America. However, when the roads changed, this opportunity did as well.
While the travelers of the 1950s wanted to enjoy the same benefits of exploring the country as the earlier drivers, the standardized roadways prevented this. Travelers sped along straight roads that all looked the same, instead of enjoying the scenery and simplicity of the back roads. Only by getting off the new, larger roads could they enjoy the type of liberation and exploration felt by the earlier drivers. Conformity appeared on the roads. Yet this did not seem to matter to the motorists of the 1950s. These travelers only wanted to take advantage of their country and experience it for themselves. Nationalism and patriotism fueled this endeavor. The kind of freedom they looked for, they found in the destination, rather than the journey. Since more people could afford cars, more people were going, and thus more accommodations were necessary. This motivated the rise of roadside resorts and motels.THE MOTELS OF THE 1950'S More automobiles and "the open road" provided the sense of freedom to explore the country and, when people go somewhere, they need a place to stay. "By the late 1940s more than 86 percent of travelers were behind the wheels of their cars, and thus potential motel customers." It was through this idea that the standard motel began to prosper in the 1950s. The term "motel" combines the words "motorist" and "hotel." By the 1950s, multiple motel corporations developed to use the money and resources available. The smaller, quaint motor courts of the previous era became outdated and no longer had a place on the highways. Motel corporations, such as Howard Johnson's and Best Western capitalized on this and took over by spending time and money on the appearance and comfort of the motels. The unvarnished, obvious set up of the motel came to be the standard design and attracted customers. If, in your travels, you come across a place called the 'Bates Motel' and you see this warm inviting home up on the hill behind, keep on driving. Trust me on this!
More automobiles and "the open road" provided the sense of freedom to explore the country and, when people go somewhere, they need a place to stay. "By the late 1940s more than 86 percent of travelers were behind the wheels of their cars, and thus potential motel customers." It was through this idea that the standard motel began to prosper in the 1950s. The term "motel" combines the words "motorist" and "hotel." By the 1950s, multiple motel corporations developed to use the money and resources available. The smaller, quaint motor courts of the previous era became outdated and no longer had a place on the highways.
Motel corporations, such as Howard Johnson's and Best Western capitalized on this and took over by spending time and money on the appearance and comfort of the motels. The unvarnished, obvious set up of the motel came to be the standard design and attracted customers. If, in your travels, you come across a place called the 'Bates Motel' and you see this warm inviting home up on the hill behind, keep on driving. Trust me on this!
Standards differed between participating motels so the franchising concept expanded. Franchises such as Super 8 and Holiday Inn, started small as a singular motel and then expanded across the interstates through the country. Franchising essentially put the smaller "Mom and Pop" places out of business. Motels and roadside resorts provided the ideal atmosphere for the 1950s family who wanted to get away from "suburbia" for a while and explore the country. The motels and resorts embodied part of the 1950s culture through this concept. After the war, people became much more residential and sedentary and thus embraced the idea of movement and exploration.
Automobile travel continued to instill the feeling of affluence and freedom. Families of the era enjoyed this freedom by using the car as a means to explore the country, get away from the city, and enjoy each other's company. One can easily imagine a picture perfect family of four piled into a station wagon cruising down the road singing together.
These families wanted a place to go and with the direct access provided by the interstate system, going more places with less time spent became a reality. Motels provided an appropriate place to spend the night.
Driving for pleasure had grown so that it now provided a social benefit for the newly urbanized society by making a number of recreational facilities and such more accessible. The social benefits could have been the journey, the destination or the stops, along the way.
1950's-style diner. Where else can our boys in blue get a coffee and doughnut at 4 a.m.!
These early diners were horse-drawn wagons. The owners drove through the city, making rounds of factories and bars. Whenever the wagon stopped, crowds would gather and huddle around it to eat, sometimes in bad weather. Entrepreneur Sam Jones noticed this pattern and he entered the diner business with a great idea. In 1884, Jones opened a newly designed night lunch wagon in Worcester, Massachusetts. His wagon was a larger model and inside was a lunch counter with stools. His customers could come inside and sit down to eat. His idea revolutionized the diner industry, and soon counters and stools became diner standards.
T. H. Buckley was also a Worcester diner entrepreneur. He built a diner but soon realized that there was more money to be made in building and selling wagons than in operating them. He started the first diner manufacturing company and by 1892 his New England Lunch Wagon Company had built and sold over 75 wagons. At this time, successful diners were operating all over the industrial Northeast, but had not spread throughout the rest of the nation. Buckley's diner production business concentrated on this untapped market. He personally set up diners in over 275 towns across the country.
Diners had traditionally operated only at night. By 1912, diner owners realized that if they got off the street they could stay open longer hours, attract new and different customers, and make more money. They began pulling their horse-drawn wagons into empty lots after their nightly rounds in order to continue business during the day. Soon their daytime locations took on importance. People could go to the diner instead of waiting for the diner to find them. Diners parked for good; the cars had become stationary but could still be moved if needed. With more permanent locations, diners could connect to city utilities for the first time. As a result, business and menus could expand. Signs advertised "Open 24 Hours" or "Eat Anytime."
Diners had originated to serve the night time workforce, a population which was typically male. This "men only" reputation followed diners as they left the streets and became 24 hour restaurants. But by the 1920s, the workforce had changed to include women, and these women were not spending their money in diners. Diner owners had to redefine their image in order for diners to make a successful transition into the twentieth century. Subtle changes like landscaping, window boxes, and frosted glass were designed to attract female customers, but many women associated the stools and counter of diners with those of bars. Diner owners answered this problem by installing tables down the length of the counter. Signs advertising "booth service" were explicit invitations for women to come inside. This change revolutionized the industry again, making both booths and stools diner standards.
In the 1950s, diner constituency changed again. Diner owners wanted to capture the family business. Children now had their own menus and were often rewarded for dragging their parents in with balloons or candy. To accommodate these larger crowds, diners grew. Separate annexes were built to house entrances, an expanded kitchen, or a larger dining area. Patrons could still sit at the counter but the short order cook was removed to the kitchen.
1919-1932: The 1920s saw the birth of Modernism as a reaction to the Victorian era. Function and efficiency were now prized over ornamentation. Transportation themes reflected the new automobile culture. Dining cars were given barrel roofs to resemble train cars. This design led to the modern misunderstanding that diners were originally train dining cars. Scientific advances of the time resulted in increased awareness of sanitation. This popularized the use of tile and enameled metal surfaces in diners, materials which gleamed and were easy to keep clean.
1933-1947: The function and efficiency of the 1920s remained important characteristics of diners in the 1930s and 1940s. Transportation design themes also continued, but now diners were built to look like airplanes and ships. The angular shapes of the past were smoothed out, rounded, and streamlined. Diners now were aerodynamic and looked ready for flight.
1948-1962: Shiny stainless steel was cheap and readily available after World War II. In diners it was applied liberally to almost every surface. The Space Age of the 1960s changed the look of diners again. Diners now were built to resemble rockets or futuristic space ports with zigzag rooflines and rows of blinking lights.
1963-1978: During this time period, diners started to lose popularity. They had become just another part of the landscape and were no longer seen as special. Many older diners were being remodeled or covered with brick to make them look like more traditional restaurants. Today, people can walk past a restaurant or other business without ever knowing that a diner lies hidden beneath the new facade.
1979-present: Diners are enjoying popularity once again. Diners are still being manufactured. Today people can order diner modules from catalogues. The modules can be mixed and matched to create customized, expensive, brand new diners. But many of the older diners are still around and in good shape due to the high quality of their craftsmanship. People have begun to preserve and restore them, and put the beautiful old diners back into service.
