Architect Breaks Down Why All American Diners Look Like That | Architectural Digest
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- čas přidán 31. 05. 2023
- Today Michael Wyetzner of Michielli + Wyetzner Architects returns to Architectural Digest to explore the design evolution of American diners. A cornerstone of American dining culture, their distinctive style has been emulated around the world making them a popular salute to the USA. Michael provides an expert look into the history behind their design evolution from the 1920s through to the 1960s and explains why all diners came to look like that.
Director: Hiatt Woods
Producer: Skylar Economy
Field Producer: Alyssa Marino
Associate Producer: Landrie Hatcher
Director of Photography: Charlie Jordan
Audio: Gabe Quiroga
Camera Operator: Cloud Corredor
Production Assistant: Patrick Sargent
Editor: Ron Douglas
Post Production Supervisor: Andrew Montague
Post Production Coordinator: Holly Frew
Supervising Editor: Christina Mankellow
Assistant Editor: Andy Morell
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Sadly in Australia we never saw the American Diner idea take off here because we had Pubs. You may find restaurants (shop style) with an Americana theme and that's about it. In the 1960's there was an attempt by a company to do a American Diner in Sydney but it's now a car dealership. I think it was called Henry's Diner.
Operator Diner in Melbourne is thriving on that theme, with an American diner menu, although it really looks more like a typical Australian (or at least Melbourne) cafe.
Harry's Cafe de Wheels? Very Googie architecture now I think about it with all the chrome and art deco and neon! Still going too I think?!
Harry's Cafe de Wheels in Tempe is probably the best version of Googie architecture I've seen in Sydney.
@leokimvideo I was very pleasantly surprised to have seen something very close to a US diner at the Austral Cafe in Murwillumbahg near Byron Bay. There is a lot art deco in town too. Cool place.
I remember Hungry Jacks used to all be inspired by 50s Diners. Bright red booth seats with big stainless steel trimmings, black and white checkered floors, neon signs and photos of iconic 1950s actors on the walls. Now they all look like uninspired, dull, 'minimalist' interiors like everywhere else.
This is why I love this channel. An amalgam of history and architecture, with a sprinkle of post-classical romanticism on it.
beautifully said.
dramatic ahh
What would it sound like if it wasn’t post-classical romantic? (Everything about our lives is drenched in romanticism in 2023)
Another large part of Googie architecture was its extravagant use of neon lighting to attract attention. During the end of its era, cities started banning neon signage as it was associated with red districts and crime, during urban redevelopment and the fight to reduce crime.
And a lisp.
You can never fully appreciate / understand art of any kind if you don’t understand its history. This guy is not just an architect he is also a historian/curator
Mr. Wyetzner is one of those rare people who have the passion, energy and knowledge to give great insights and capture the attention. Terrific videos.
Agree 100000%
He's mispronouncing "Googie" throughout the entire video.
I would not know, nor do I care. The content of the video was extraordinary. ❤
I'm European and have never been to America, yet I've had a strange fascination with diners for the longest time.
One of my bucket list items is to visit the Blue Moon diner located in Beaverton, Oregon. It's a completely unremarkable diner, except for the fact that it served as the inspiration for the diner in the video game Life is Strange, which is important to me.
😂 What a coincidence, I live very close to Beaverton. Never heard of this diner, Oregon is one of the most beautiful states in US.
@FroyoQueen Then you can go there and write back the experience for the guy. The food should not be greasy, there should not be cockroaches, etc
When you said Blue Moon I knew where you were going wit this
I’ve lived in Oregon most my life and never heard of this place! 😱Thank you! Gonna check it out!
That sounds great! If you make it to the East Coast, try any of the small roadside diners in the NY/NJ/PA area. Always great food and atmosphere.
In SoCal, I’d recommend the Norm’s chain in LA/Orange County, and if you make it to San Diego, the Night & Day Cafe on Coronado Island (try the garbage omelette).
As an Australian, getting to see a diner in real life is so exciting. We grow up watching them in movies and tv shows. It's weirdly nostaglic
There's a few around, Pellegrini's Espresso Bar for example
@Peter Paoliello yes! small but similar
Soda Rock Diner in South Yarra, VIC is a great example
@Kevin Praditra yes, although it's fake (a recreation not original)
Fun fact: The diner he uses as an example of the classic diner is the 11th St Diner in Miami. It was originally built in 1948 in Wilkes-Barre, PA and was bought by a Miami Investor in 1992 and shipped down there.
Hey very cool! As a PA native I’m really appreciative of that fun tidbit!
as a resident of Miami Beach... I've eaten there many-many times!
That was tripping me out for a minute, I was like Big Pink... no wait
An investor brought it there. So is it an overpriced tourist trap now?
As a Californian, i have always been fascinated with the seaside diners and seaside town architecture over here. Mixed with post war influences but sometimes just copy pasted east coast style. Would love to see a video about the “stolen or copied” architecture of the united states coasts
As a Californian by birth and New Jerseyan by necessity, that’s a great idea. Unfortunately our great Diner culture here in NJ is fading. Sad.
@BW in NJ Shame, visiting a New Jersey diner is on my bucket list.
Yeah. To all of it.
Diner architecture is very similar all over the country. Even when some go radical in design, you still see how they are related. I say that as someone who has lived half his life in CA and the other half in NY, and who has traveled extensively across the country.
@Desmaad its not too late
He should've mentioned Edward Hopper's painting "Night Hawks", which seems to encapsulate why we love diners. A handful of patrons sitting in a corner diner in some dark neighborhood, the place is an island of warm comfortable light. Anyone who's ever been out late at night and looked for a place to eat wants to sit in that diner talking to those people.
I thought he would too.
No one wants to chat with their waiter late-night, but othwerwise spot on lol
@Mary Anne EvansI'm surprised he didn't mention that painting in the video.
One of my all-time favorite paintings!
That has long been one of my favorite paintings. Thank you for mentioning it and doing such so eloquently.
AD hit gold with Wyetzner-he makes topics so accessible & interesting. He’s unpretentious but you know he has a wealth of knowledge
Our family restaurant in Downey CA. is a googie style. It’s been in so many movies, commercials and videos it’s hard to keep track. We have owned it since the early 60s and to this day we still own it. My Father-in-Law has made a giant impact on history and into the future.
What is it called?
It would be interesting to get an analyzation of the 70's architecture, famous for being the ugliest era, commonly seen on university campuses.
Additionally, the 80's architecture seen in malls and corporate buildings with the triangular motif would be another interesting era to analyze as well.
oh gosh that college campus architecture.... all the 70's stuff is super hideous, and all the modern stuff they're replacing it with is soul-less!!!
@KingOfThePanduz I will defend the JFK library at Cal State LA any day. Though it needs more entrances and exits.
@KingOfThePanduz It's soul-less sure, but at least it's clean and sleek looking. 70s architecture is irrideemable imo
ghost mall Thank you, I'm a terrible speller.
Some (most?) of those 70s buildings are bad but there’s some great examples as well. Now that nostalgia encompasses 70s, 80s and (gasp) 90s, I wonder what kind of buildings we’re going to have a newfound appreciation for.
Beautifully explained. He explained it both technical and artistic. Now I understand the context of Diners
Wyetzner is one of my favorite guys on CZcams. Most architects are terrible at explaining things to the public, but he knows what he's doing
Completely agree!
Disagree entirely. He’s part of a special club which desire to destroy beautiful architecture. I’d love to see his viewpoint on neo classicism
@Thunder Boob What beautiful architecture does Wyetzner desire to destroy?
@h d Don't worry, this is just a white nationalist talking point.
I love diners! It is absolutely comforting to know that they will serve the usual, especially scrumptious chocolate milk shakes. I love the way Mr. Wyetzner traces the history of everything and gives examples to make it even clearer. He's my favorite, I never miss one of his videos!
In Canada, where I live, diners are inextricably linked to migration waves, particularly Greek migration. So, you get souvlaki and Greek salads as part of the diner deal. When in the US, I often visited Pittsburgh, and went to Ritter’s for breakfast. Classic diner, Greek stuff but a wonderful twist: cooks were African American and we got green fried tomatoes and grits. I am a lover of diners❤️❤️
now Albanians run diners. Idk if any actual Albanian food gets served.
In Winnipeg the Greek immigrants bring gyros and also the fatboy burger it’s such an interesting concept
@Paul Blichmann In the US or Canada, and in which region? This is the first I'm hearing about Albanians owning diners en masse.
Ritter's is legendary
Lots of Greek diners in the US, too.
I did a photograph series of diners for a photography assignment I had in college. Went to a bunch of diners and tried to find different ways to photograph them. It was pretty fun.
I love this type of videos, they use architecture to teach history. It’d be interesting if you did a video on public housing in the US, like the projects in New York.
I based my kitchen design around googie design and never knew it had a name! chrome appliances, checkered floors, and ice cream decor. I was inspired by diners like Kellogg's in Williamsburg with my favorite cheesecake and childhood memories of black and white milkshakes
I never knew the name either! So cool
Question - I have been in search of 10x10 or (preferably) 12x12 black and white flooring for my kitchen. The only thing we can find is sheet vinyl with a smaller pattern or cork. We went with cork, but it's not sturdy enough for our family. Do you know what flooring brand you used in your kitchen?
Love Michael's videos. So much history in architecture that he breaks down so comprehensively.
On the Welcome to Las Vegas sign, the circles could be seen as planets. Looking closer, each circle is a 1922 silver dollar. Silver dollars didn't circulate in most of America but were used as gaming tokens in Nevada until the mid-1960s.
In 1962 in Connecticut, you could go to the bank and ask for them, get mass quantities if you wanted... Morgan Dollars, Peace Dollars too.
Can we get more of these diners again? They still do well... especially late at night...it feels like America needs a revival or some kind of excitement again...
I agree here. Everything just seems a bit boring.
I disagree. I see the beauty, but that nostalgic escapist yearning americana for an ideal past that never really existed --- it gives us an excuse not to look dry-eyed at the mess we have and how to get forward.
Basically Waffle House is about the closest remnants. My grandmother ran a diner and even in the early 90s they were struggling to stay relevant though. Might be over for now
Technically Waffle House looks and feels like that
Unfortunately our car-centric infrastructure and the ubiquity of drive-through fast food restaurants have really damaged the viability of the American diner. Walkable neighborhoods are much better environments for small businesses like diners to thrive.
I wish diners would come back. They are so nostalgic and movie style classic. I love the stairs at the entrance and the long narrowness inside and the boothes, the round stools at the long counters and red and white checkered floor tiles!
I went to a diner in high school in New Jersey (arguably diner capital of the world), called the Claremont Diner. Designed just as you describe. Same menu with lots of memories. Then it was replaced by, of all things a foreign car dealership. So you can add that to the list of diners reflecting the history of the country.
I worked for a short time in the late 90s at the Empire diner in New York City. I always found it to be the most beautiful which is why they’ve used it and lots of commercials and movies, including woody Allen’s Manhattan.
Thank you for your comment! I just checked it out online. It's a beautiful diner.
The Square Diner in Tribeca is also iconic. It's in Tribe Called Quests Electric Relaxation video, my favorite song capturing NYC in the early 90s! Not sure I'd it's still there, tho.
I walked past it last nite and it is even more beautiful now
Thank you for this fascinating history lesson. I have often wondered why diners always look the way they do. You gave me my answer and also made me appreciate again how architecture is about so much more than design, it tells a story of our shared history.
I was waiting for him to reference The Jetsons... and he didn't disappoint.
I love this series, incidentally.
Can't beat a classic Worcester diner. Built as pre-fab restaurants by the Worcester Lunch Car Co., and others. They were built for delivery by rail, but weren't really a parked diner car. Stainless steel and bright lights were used to highlight cleanliness, not always the norm in early 1900's. Stainless and lights worked great for Art Deco stylists and the design really took off.
When I was a kid I thought ALL diners had to be a traincar. Guess it was a Woostah thing.
Amazingly connecting together different aspects of American architecture I didn't even know were related, in a coherent, entertaining, and engaging narrative, well done sir! Loved it
US diners seem to serve a similar function to British pubs, in their familiarity and foundations in tradition and history
I think they might be more similar to British Cafes/greasy spoons, in that both diners and cafes are alcohol-free establishments serving cheap, basic food to mostly working-class people, and they're usually independently owned and not part of a chain.
I love how the story of diners breaks off into the story of this style of architecture.
I could listen to Mr. Wyetzner
all day long.. I love his videos! I’ve learned so much- so enlightening..
I think of Howard Johnson's restaurants as being diner like. The one near me where I grew up very much had a diner design with a counter and booths and their signage and color schemes were very eye catching. Growing up on the East Coast diners were everywhere and great for a dependable, inexpensive meal. Thanks for the background!
I love the 1920's and 50's aesthetic. That's a diner I would love to see again.
I always get a warm feeling when I see one of the various Googie style diners sprinkled through LA. Many have been torn down for redevelopment but many still are around and I love them.
This was incredibly well written. The call back at the end was a perfect conclusion and I loved it. Thank you for the education.
I love the signage, interior spacial design, and the way these spaces are so well integrated into the surroundings they always look appropriate and inviting whether in a city or on the roadside on the edge of a field.
These videos never fail to both entertain and educate. One of my absolute favorite series on CZcams.
Thank you for the breakdown of Googie architecture! It really is kind of slept on nowadays, and definitely needs a revival, we could use a little bit of architectural optimism in this day and age. Also fun fact! A lot of those classic diners you see out and about were kit diners, essentially prefabbed kit buildings, which absolutely has a charm of it's own!
Thank you for an excellent video! Could you please do more on 50s / 60s architecture in terms of different styles seen in public buildings vs homes? Like how different aspects of a style movement would manifest in private vs public buildings? It's a fascinating era! (I'm sure you wouldn't mind showing off some Saarinen designs either :D)
Here in Philadelphia we had a place called the Trolley Car Diner for about 20 years where the front was an actual trolley car. Sadly in 2019 it was sold and basically abandoned. It became overgrown with a chain link fence around it and graffiti all over the trolley car. I'm not sure what it looks like now but it still looks that way on Google Maps.
it's interesting that the architecture of the Space Needle is associated with diners because there are virtually no 'classic' American diners or train car style diners in the region. I grew up in Seattle and enjoying diner culture is something I love about living on the east coast now
Este hombre es fantástico, tantas expresiones y palabras, la forma de contarnos la historia, los aspectos estéticos, en fin. Oro puro
When I stayed in the U.S. , I was fascinated by the architecture like Varsity 🍔. They’re very American but it’s not until watching this video that I realize that they represent many of the iconic architecture in the U.S.
This is fabulous. I would love to see more videos like this!
Great series. Love how he threads it tough through the decades of culture and how it changes the evolution of the simple idea of a dining cart.
I learn so much with every one of these videos! It's an incredible amount of information in such a brief amount of time, but it never overwhelms and it always entertains :)
Thanks for explaining the history behind diners. Very well done, I learned a lot watching this. 😊
As a history buff, a foodie, and a nerd for great structures, I can sit in a two-hour class with Mr. Wyetzner talking about this video without getting bored. His passion and energy is just so wonderful to watch.
I love the analysis of things we take for granted. It makes you appreciate the world around us. Thanks!
Another great video - your perspectives on design are very much appreciated. Keep 'em coming!
What a fantastic idea to examine! Great video. Such out of the box thinking!
My favorite diner as a kid was Bob’s Big Boy. I don’t see them around anymore. Every once in awhile I’ll come across an original Denny’s diner and the architecture is so beautiful and distinct.
Sir, I love the episodes you narrate. You have a great way to explain complex things to us normal people. Thank you
What's fun is to find an American Diner in a foreign country. I've found them in Germany, England and Russia. They even try to imitate the same foods shown in this video. A Russian told me that when he is in that diner in Russia, he feels the nostalgia of being an American.
Where in Germany? There used to be a diner in a place near where I grew upon the UK, Lye, West Midlands but it's gone now.
@doctorwalex It is the "Double Six Diner" in Donaueschingen, Germany which is on Highway 27, south of Stuttgart. The name Double Six is in reference to "Route 66" in the US, which was a main highway during the heydays of such diners. Donaueschingen is where the Brigach and Breg rivers meet to form the start of the Danube River.
@202 50 Excellent. Thank you. Next time I'm that way I will check it out. 1n 1999 I was in the States for a few months and drove some of Route 66. I'd love to go back and do another road trip.
How can a non-American feel "the nostalgia of being an American"? That makes no sense.
@doctorwalex
Please don’t call our country "the states". No such a country with that name, just like there is no country called "the kingdoms". 😄 America/USA, pick one.
Expected an architecture lesson. Got a history lesson instead. Thoroughly enjoyed the entire thing, well done AD!
Googie is my favorite style of architecture. It pains me to hear him pronounce it like that. I've never heard anyone pronounce it like that.
I grew up in a suburb of LA that was built in the 50s. The trend back then was space age googie, tiki, and kitchy.
I grew up near a bunch of awesome space age 50s architecture. The creators of The Jetsons came up with the idea of their show by driving around LA and seeing all the space age buildings and cars that look like rockets.
If youre thinking, "That sounds awesome, I'd like to see this part of LA that looks futuristic!". It no longer exists. Most of these buildings have been torn down and replaced with boring fast food architecture.
There are still some iconic googie buildings that still exist, but almost all of them are gone. This is what got me into architecture. I saw all these quirky buildings of my childhood disappear and it made me so sad.
This is why architecture preservation is so important. That time in history is gone, so now no one will be able to visit a space age 50s neighborhood in LA. Googie buildings were outlandish and cost more money to maintain, so they just got torn down. 50s dingbats and tiki architecture are starting to disappear really fast too
Thank you for explaining it all in such understandable form !
As a former grill employee of mcdon I'm a big fan of homecooking. Meat is hot, spiced in whatever you like, veggies are in normal amount not symbolic stripes of something green with almost transparent circle of untasty tomato covered in tasteles but melty cheese...
This is seriously PBS quality. Thanks so much for doing this everyone at AD.
The American Diner took other forms, but just as utilitarian. The lunch counter diner made famous by Woolworth's, carbon copied in every city and oddly in pharmacies. A flavored soda and a tuna melt would be typical fare. The long counter of the downtown diner, open all night made famous by Edward Hopper in Nighthawks where a dime would get you a hot cuppa Joe. But wait, the Duck House!
I love these educational videos so much! Keep ‘em coming, AD!!
Wyetzner really does an amazing job in these videos, and makes them even more engaging with elevated language and coherent, easy-to-follow flow in his speech
Brilliant analysis of something I loved and never fully understood until now. Thank you for your brilliant analysis and deep insight.
i love this kind of video, you're learning art, history and culture at the same time.
Fantastic video! Nice blend of real history and context without being too critical. Thanks!
I love these explainers so, so much. Pls keep making them, AD!
You can't go wrong with a beautiful comfortable diner
This video was absolutely awesome in its writing. I was happy to know about diners, had know idea it was going to end up where it did.
My favorite diner food is the reuben sandwich. I might try other things at some point, but I always go with the reuben on my first visit. Fries and a pickle are a must. If they serve potato chips instead, I feel like they don't really care about the experience. I also sometimes go with a milkshake to drink and gravy fries if they have them.
The best one yet! Loved this level of depth and history. Thank you AD!
Such interesting history. Googie style seemed to be everywhere when I was growing up and I loved the whimsy of it.
This was so cool! My favorite diner is Blue Bay diner in Queens, NY. I always thought it looked like a cruise ship but now I can definitely see the train car and art deco lettering this video is describing.
It is such an iconic bit of Americana, the classic diner look. Hard to look at it and not have 50s rock'n'roll music in your head.
There was a diner in Montréal that I used to love to go to in the late '70s/early '80s. It was a kitschy Formica-laden environment. They made great latkes. I think I also preferred their version of smoked meat over Dunn's, the big fancy-pants restaurant on Ste. Catherine. Alas, Ben's is no more. But it hearkened back to a time when fluorescent lighting and Formica were de rigeur.
Loved it! I would love more, please!
Weirdly, one of the places most associated with diners -- New Jersey -- has so many diners that are really more like restaurants. They have the archetypal greasy spoon food, but they also have a lot of fresh and elevated dishes. Many of them only look like remnants of the diner on the inside; the layout is similar (booths, open kitchen or at least a long bar), but they have been renovated out of the 20s, 50s, and 60s diner style.
I love the 1950s style American diners. So nostalgic.
Wow, I love this guy, real role model for me! Love this series too thank you!
Thanks for another great article, MW. Back in the 90s, The Empire Diner on 10th Avenue had the best Sunday brunch- fried eggs, hash browns & a screwdriver…classic.
My favorite as a kid was Art's Cafe in Oregon City, Oregon (there is a fantastic establishment in the same building, called The Stillhouse, which serves Scottish faire and Scotch). My favorite item at Art's was the Strawberry Milkshake; Made by hand. As an adult my favorite was Brint's Diner in Wichita, KS (sadly closed forever). It was a classic pre-fab diner that had the absolute best open-faced roast beef sandwich. The building is still there if anyone wants to bring the place back into pooper use.
In my hometown of Anderson, IN there was a golf course named Boca Real, a prime example of Googie architecture. Of course it’s been torn down, but the clubhouse and other buildings were so cool.
Architectural designs can also impact how the people will use and maximize spaces inside and outside the building. That's how powerful it is. 💯💯
Loved learning the history. I think tomorrow land in Disneyland is another lasting example of googie architecture
I'd go one step farther. The Googie style is an expression of freedom. If you think about what the train was when horse-drawn travel was the norm, or a car when travel on rails was the norm, or a spaceship when earthly travel was the norm, all of these were an expression of freedom and a spirit of adventure. It was a quintessentially American feel that these images/symbols tapped into. Great video! I enjoyed it
I've always loved diners and this video only deepened my appreciation for them as an American institution.
Wonderful I’ve always wanted a in depth history of the Googie style, thanks!
I love this! My grandparents and I go to the Rock N Roll Train Diner in Pismo Beach whenever I visit them. Been going since I was a baby! I always loved it’s uniqueness and now I know why it is the way it is :)
So glad he's back. Mr. Wyetzner's video on tenements and other New York apartment types has been invaluable to the research for my next video.
Loved, loved this delightful journey through the decades! Thank you!
As iconic as diners are, they are rare in the suburban McShopping Center land of beige, glass-fronted, cemetery-rowed, store fronts of nail salons, chinese food/pizza restaurants, dry cleaners, UPS stores, etc.
I love the history of it all. This guy is quick, to the point, and he kinda sounds like Christopher Walken. I could listen to him all day. Oh, and gimme a patty melt with fries...NO ONIONS!
"Oh, yes I know of Gucci."
"Not Gucci; GOOGIE, you uncultured swine!"
This was such a great video! Reminds me of Centre Pompidou in Paris and how renegade that design was for its time.
I studied humanities and my favorite part was how architecture explains the values and viewpoint of each historical period and culture. Here in Arizona we have the Space Age Lodge and Restaurant in the pitiful town of Gil’s Bend. 😂
This man's enthusiasm makes me want to follow in the footsteps of my father and become an architect..
Excellent piece. I learned why I love diners so much. My fave -- the REO Diner in Woodbridge, NJ. In high school, our tennis team ate there after some tennis matches. Delicious, simple food -- and the waitress always called you "Hon."
So interesting…what a fascinating demonstration of how architecture changes with society
"To eat in a diner is to experience an expression of some of the best parts of our shared history - our optimism for the future. But in reality, it skips over many of the lowlights that were also present, such as the Great Depression, WWII, segregation, and the Vietnam War." No wonder a diner is such an American experience.
It was a stupid thing to bring up. Probably votes so-called Democrat. 🙄
Thank you for these videos; they are great! Please keep doing them!
I walked by a diner downtown I hadn't seen before recently and even though I didn't need any food it made me want to go sit inside, it is like the opposite feeling of fine dining instead of exclusive it's like everyone is is welcome
The one you call the ultimate Googie is more like the Googie broken down - past it's prime.
And the airstream diner is a style I havent see on the west coast.
The rest I really loved. I have to find Googies, if it still exists. It does look like deconstructed archetecture. There's a run-down empty diner at the corner of Fairfax and Wilshire, so sad.
I now think I want to go to the LAX spaceship restaurant. I think the dining room rotates to give you a view of everywhere, or is that some other restaurant I was in?