Country Club Lanes
Sacramento, CA Photo courtesy John Flores
Here's the Country Club Lanes in Sacramento, CA. This bowling alley is part of the Country Club Centre which is on Watt Ave. and has a bowling alley, hofbrau, pool hall, Tower Records, and other shops. The bowling alley has that space age look to it. The alley is open 24 hours a day and features a live DJ and glow-in-the-dark bowling 7 days a week, becoming a fun and available stop. 11-05
Santa Cruz Boardwalk
Santa Cruz, CA Photo courtesy Mark Hackett
Out on the Santa Cruz Boardwalk is a gaming joint complete with multiple
googie fins. The park was founded in 1907, the boardwalk is known as California's oldest current amusement park.
Biff's Coffee Shop (Demolished)
Oakland, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Have a look at the former Biff’s Coffee Shop along Oakland’s Broadway Auto Row. With its round roof, walls of glass, and low-slung flying-saucer shape, this was classic Googie architecture built to catch the eye of anyone passing by. Inside, Biff’s stayed open around the clock, serving coffee and good eats whenever Oakland happened to be hungry.
The 6,000-square-foot coffee shop was designed in 1963 by Armet, Davis & Newlove, the firm responsible for some of California’s best-known futuristic restaurants. Standard Oil developed the property as a combination diner and gas station, making it a convenient stop for both the car and its passengers.
Biff’s was later renamed JJ’s Diner and remained open until 1996. Chevron planned to demolish the empty building in 1997, but neighborhood opposition and the Friends of Biff’s helped win it recognition as an Oakland historic resource. For a while, it looked as though the old flying saucer had been saved.
UPDATE: The final days for the former Biff's came on October 31, 2016 when the googie establishment met the wrecking ball. The developer plans to build condos on the site. Is this considered progress? 11-16
UPDATE: The protection did not last. After another preservation battle, the Oakland City Council allowed the property to be redeveloped, and Biff’s was demolished in late 2016. A seven-story residential building now occupies the site, while a mosaic trash-can project across the street was created as a small tribute to the lost coffee shop. 09-26
Savings Bank of Mendocino County (Closed)
Ukiah, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Here’s the old Savings Bank of Mendocino County in Ukiah, looking like a flying saucer that might take off with everyone’s money. The perfectly round building, wraparound glass, and wide overhanging roof gave this neighborhood bank plenty of Space Age style. Locals naturally called it the Round Bank or Flying Saucer Bank.
The South State Street branch opened on November 11, 1966. Even the drive-up teller lanes followed the circular plan, allowing customers to orbit the building while making a deposit. Banking by spaceship. Not a bad idea for the mid-1960s.
UPDATE: The bank closed this branch in 2009, but the saucer escaped demolition. The building was remodeled into Be-Bop’s Diner, a 1950s-style restaurant that keeps the round exterior intact. The old sign pole also survives, now topped by neon showing a roller-skating waitress. 09-26
Savings Bank of Mendocino County (Closed)
