Sitting on one of the most high-profile corners in Los Angeles is Johnies coffee shop, a glorious abandoned Googie masterpiece.
Armet and Davis, the imaginative and prolific architectural firm that shaped much of mid-century Los Angeles designed Johnies, which opened in 1956.
It traded under several names including Romeos and Rams, before becoming Johnies in the early 1960’s.
Johnies Coffee Shop currently lies in a state of rack and ruin. It’s neon lights and flashing light bulbs soldier on at night with the odd neon letter remaining dark and more light bulbs blown than working.
Johnies coffee shop closed in 2000 after being purchased by the owners of the 99-cent store 2 doors away, who use the Johnies car park for their customers.
Johnies appears in a multitude of Hollywood movies, including “Miracle Mile”, “The Big Lebowski”, “Volcano” and “American History X”, and music videos from Tom Petty, Reba McEntire and Sean Kingston.
Thank heavens Johnies was declared a historical landmark by the Los Angeles City Council in 2013.
Now somebody please restore it to its former red, white and blue space age glory and we will be your most loyal customers.
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Southern California # 156. - last visited January 2024
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