470 North La Cienega Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA 90048
The first Norms restaurant is one of the definitive ‘Googie’s’. As an architectural style it was often dismissed at the time by critics and many modernists (though noticeably not by R.M Schindler or Richard Neutra) but in reality for the vast majority of citizens, for whom a case study house in the hills was not an option, it was their main interaction with modern architecture in the 1950s and 1960s.
The style was derived from the car culture and the strip town planning, which was a western trend, as opposed to East coast high rises with the subsequent congestion problems. Most commonly applied to coffee shops, diners, bowling alleys and car washes. The building itself was designed to be as a three-dimensional advertisement to attract the drivers attention. Sloping roofs, brightly animated neon signs and full height glass tended to dominate the designs. Many dismissed the architecture as showy and superfluous and not part of modernism, however in responding to the design need and often with steel and glass structures it was modernism for the masses.
It really is great to see these diners still in action and living proof of the longevity of the design. There is a wealth to choose from in Los Angeles, while many, including the original John Lautner designed Googie’s itself, were demolished, recently a few have been restored and are again functioning diners under the Mel’s moniker. Johnnie’s (formerly Romeos Time Square) is still standing on the Miracle Mile, although it closed as a diner in 2000 and is solely used for parking for a nearby discount store.
Date of visits: April 2012 / June 2013 / September 2014 / February 2016
Free Entry and enjoy a regular American diner experience.
