ARCHITECTURE Cruise out, and Drive in! by Barrett Lipomi
June Movies When you are out cruising the streets of Modesto this month in your classic car, what better place to meet up with friends than a drive-in restaurant. You can get some great food while showing off your ride. This has been a local tradition dating back to the early days of cruising during Graffiti summer. In fact, drive-in restaurants in Modesto predate the Graffiti Era. One of the earliest drive-in restaurants documented in Modesto was the Reed & Bell Stand downtown that was built in 1925. The early drive-ins were not what one would call great works of architecture and were built to serve a function and not much more. However, by the time we got to the late 40’s it seemed that our car culture started to have an influence on drive-in architecture. Suddenly drive-ins became these bold, futuristic buildings with curving glass facades and glowing neon signs. These buildings were fantastic and part of a growing architectural trend called “Googie” architecture. One of Modesto’s best examples of a Googie style drive-in was Burge’s Drive-In, built in 1947, that once stood on the corner of 9th and O streets downtown. Although many of our historic drive-ins are unfortunately no longer standing, we do still have several drive-ins to enjoy including A & W downtown on 14th and G which is Modesto’s oldest remaining drive-in. Among others, Scenic Drive-In serves up some great burgers, and Sonic Drive-In on McHenry has become a popular place for classic cars to gather during Graffiti summer and even feature carhops on roller skates. So as you cruise out this month, be sure to drive in and continue this great tradition!
Reed & Bell Stand
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Graffiti U.S.A. June 2016
For more Modesto info: www.modestoview.com