All photos Clifton Bertram
Like drive-in movie theatres, the drive-in restaurants that were such a part of the car culture of the mid-20th century possessed a unique form of "kitsch moderne" styling, sharing an aerodynamicism with the animated series, the Jetsons, and other retro-futuro approaches.
The Food'n'Foam drive in outside of St. Thomas, Ontario on the road to Talbotville, has been abandoned for years, and weeds now crack the pavement where Impalas and Barracudas once roamed free. Even in its advanced decrepitude, you can still make out some of the hallmark features of this particular design genre, in particular the 'flying wing' structure of the car bays.
The font used on the signs is iconic, as well.
Those who are interested in reading more about drive-in restaurant design and culture could do worse than to procure a copy of The American Drive-In: History and Folklore of the Drive-in Restaurant in American Car Culture or Car Hops and Curb Service: A History of American Drive-In Restaurants 1920-1960.
A large section of St. Petersburg, Florida has houses with a similar distinctive design. I don't know what its called, its not flying wing, but sort of a reverse flying wing. Low narrow ranches with the wide side facing the street and an angular stretch of carport. They appear to have been quite nice at some point and now are decent starter homes.
ReplyDeleteMaybe its not called anything but post war economy mass buildings.