Bob's Big Boy Broiler - '50s Drive-In - Downey, California
Posted by: 
DougK
N 33° 56.857 W 118° 08.822
11S E 394006 N 3756940
Bob's Big Boy Broiler is a recreated 1950's style drive-in.
Waymark Code: WMB5H7
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 04/07/2011
Views: 5
From a nearby sign on Bob's Big Boy Broiler:
This building is a great example of the "Googie style" coffee shops
and drive-in restaurants that once dotted the Southern California
landscape. Googie architecture called for buildings to read as signs
to attract customers. Built in 1958 by owner Harvey Ortner, "Harvey's
Broiler" exhibited many of the design features of Googie architecture,
including exagerated roofs, dazzling signs, bright lighting, and glass
walls. In 1966 Christos Smyrniotis, a former cook at the restaurant,
purchased the restaurant and operated it under the name "Johnie's
Broiler" until it closed in Frebruary 2002.
The building was operated as a used car dealership from 2002 until
2007 when it suffered extensive damage when the tenant illegally
demolished a large portion of the building. However, the City of
Downey and Bob's Big Boy, with the support from concerned citizens
and the Los Angeles Conservancy, devised a plan to preserve and
rebuild Johnie's Broiler. On August 12, 2008 the Downey City
Council voted to provide financial assistance to resurrect
this historic landmark under the name of Bob's Big Boy,
another Southern California icon.