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All the United States California Beverly Hills Union 76 Gas Station

Union 76 Gas Station

The dramatic upward-curving roof is one of the most iconic examples of Googie architecture that still stands today.

Beverly Hills, California

Added By
Kavya Ram Mohan
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The station at night.   Ibolya/CC BY 2.0
The station at night.   Ibolya/CC BY 2.0
Union 76 Gas Station.   Googie Man/CC BY-SA 3.0
Union 76 Gas Station.   Josh Friedman/CC BY-ND 2.0
The red square tiling.   Josh Friedman/CC BY-ND 2.0
at night, with the 76 “ball” in the foreground   Avoiding Regret
at night   Avoiding Regret
at night   Avoiding Regret
12/8/2018   exploringwithesch / Atlas Obscura User
Union 76 Gas Station.   Frederick Dennstedt/CC BY-SA 2.0
12/8/2018   exploringwithesch / Atlas Obscura User
  LiamY / Atlas Obscura User
12/8/2018   exploringwithesch / Atlas Obscura User
1950’s/60’s era picture of the gas station with in it’s convenience store (12/8/2018)   exploringwithesch / Atlas Obscura User
Union 76 Gas Station   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
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About

What looks like a flying carpet anchored to the ground with pillars at the intersection of Crescent Drive and Little Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles is actually a functional gas station. It's also one of the most iconic examples of Googie architecture in the world.

The dramatic upward-curved canopy decorated with red square tiles was originally designed in the 1960s by architect Gin Wong to be a part of the city’s airport, but when that plan was changed, it ended up as a Union 76 gas station. When the fluorescent lights that follow the curve are turned on, Jack Colker’s 76 station, as it is commonly known, goes from flying carpet to embellished spaceship.

It was completed in 1965, right around the time when the eye-catching Googie style was extremely popular in California. Inspired by the Space Age, fast cars, and jets, Googie style buildings contain steel, plastic, and neon, twisted into crazy shapes and designs. Several of these whimsical creations were demolished in the decades that followed but there are still handful of them scattered around the Golden State.

Related Tags

Gas Station Architectural Oddities Architecture Neon Space Design Discover Los Angeles

Community Contributors

Added By

Kavya Ram Mohan

Edited By

Avoiding Regret, exploringwithesch, blimpcaptain, LiamY

  • Avoiding Regret
  • exploringwithesch
  • blimpcaptain
  • LiamY

Published

November 15, 2017

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Sources
  • https://www.laconservancy.org/locations/union-76-gas-station
  • http://www.lamag.com/citythinkblog/story-behind-l-s-coolest-looking-gas-station/
  • https://la.curbed.com/2017/9/28/16381306/union-76-gas-station-googie-landmark
  • http://www.experiencingla.com/2013/02/googie-architecture-jack-colkers-76.html
  • https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/googie-architecture-of-the-space-age-122837470/
  • https://la.curbed.com/maps/googie-map-los-angeles
Union 76 Gas Station
427 N Crescent Drive
Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills, California
United States
34.071833, -118.400798
Get Directions

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