Restaurants...
Garth’s Drive-In
Garth’s Drive-In, in Colorado Springs, circa-1950s, one of the early suppliers of
Kentucky Fried Chicken before KFC opened their own restaurants. The Googie-style
signage of this restaurant is just like the more-famous Norm’s in Los Angeles.
March 16th, 2013 / No Comments » / by Tom Lundin
Duffy’s Delicious Drinks
Denver Root Beer king, Frank Duffy, of Duffy’s Delicious Drinks 1960
February 23rd, 2013 / 1 Comment » / by Tom Lundin
Looker’s Derby
Looker’s Derby in Idaho Springs, started 1946 by Jim and his wife Johnnie Lucille
Looker. Later known as King’s Derby, I believe this place closed last year.
February 23rd, 2013 / No Comments » / by Tom Lundin
Red Slipper Lounge
A postcard for the Red Slipper Lounge, located in the Cherry Creek Inn which
formerly stood at 600 S. Colorado Blvd (corner of Colorado & Cherry Creek).
Run in the early 1960s by Frank Turner, it had a turn-of-the-century theme and would usually feature ragtime or honky tonk piano players like the famous Johnny ‘Crazy Otto’ Maddox.
December 7th, 2012 / No Comments » / by Tom Lundin
Mexican Cafe
1960’s era menu from the original Mexican Cafe and Gordo’s
July 26th, 2012 / 1 Comment » / by Tom Lundin
Burger Chef
This Mexican restaurant in Westminster is probably the most-intact Burger Chef building
in the Denver-area.
Burger Chef was the huge national burger chain that was McDonalds’ biggest rival. They unsuccessfully sued McDonalds for stealing their own Burger Chef Fun Meal concept.
Their main dish was the Big Shef.
I assume the building in Westminster was probably opened in 1969, around the same time
that this Boulder location started, pictured above with owner Chuck Farthing.
Just down south on Pecos from there is this other burger building with the butterfly roof
which I have always admired, also built in the 1960s. Not sure what it was originally.
(older photos borrowed from Burger Chef Memories and Bowdy Cloister Burger Chef Locations)
April 14th, 2012 / No Comments » / by Tom Lundin
Azar’s Big Boy
Armet & Davis were the most well known of the Los Angeles-area architects of Googie-style coffee shops. They also contributed to the Front Range landscape with their many White Spot designs, and even designed buildings for Azar’s Big Boy, like this Boulder location depicted above.
The Big Boy restaurant chain subfranchised under different names around the country. While most famous for their California brand Bob’s Big Boy, in Colorado (and Indiana) they were known as Azar’s.
The Boulder structure may be the only surviving Armet & Davis Big Boy in the state. Armet & Davis probably designed these buildings for Azar’s around the early-1960s. If you know of another surviving Big Boy building in Colorado, or recall any of the former locations, please leave a comment, I would love to hear from you. (I have only tracked down a couple of former locations, such as the current Vitamin Cottage on West Colfax.)
(Original Armet & Davis drawing for Denver Azar’s borrowed from
http://www.googieart.com.)
(Matchbook borrowed from http://www.flickr.com/photos/interestingideas/)
April 11th, 2012 / 12 Comments » / by Tom Lundin
Safari Supper Club
The soon-to-be-opened Mauki Tiki Bar on S. Broadway reminds me to post some photos
of the Safari Supper Club, an exotic ’60s-era night club in Ft. Collins, owned and run by
Bob Swerer, also the leader of the house band.
I just determined that building that housed this night club still survives, I will post a photo
when the weather cooperates.
December 4th, 2011 / No Comments » / by Tom Lundin
Accordion roof
Looks like Santiagos left this location in Arvada, an old folded-plate roof restaurant building.
I assume it a Tastee-Freeze ice cream place from the early-1960s.
Tastee-Freeze and Der Weinershnitzel all have seemed to merge into today’s
Hamburger Stand.
November 1st, 2011 / 1 Comment » / by Tom Lundin
