Check Back with Me in a Few Days!

We spent most of last week at Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend, which is (you guessed it) in Las Vegas, Nevada. This was our third time attending and we had a blast! It's always fun and I hope we can do it again soon. I managed to blog every day while we were gone, but only because I set up and scheduled all the posts in advance. We got back home early Monday morning, just before sunrise, and ever since then I've been churning and burning in preparation for the fact that I'm about to jump on another plane tomorrow at 6:15 AM, this time to California. You may remember that we were in California just a few weeks ago, in February, to visit friends. This time I'm going solo to visit the same friends while Pat holds down the fort here at home.

As a sanity saving measure I've decided  to put the blog on the back burner for the rest of this week and probably until late next week, so here's a placeholder photo from Viva. Does this guy look familiar? That's because he's dressed like the classic Big Boy! Although apparently Big Boy restaurants are still around in some places, you may or may not remember this mid-century American cultural icon, so here's a little more info about him.

I'll have more VLV photos for you when I get back. See you next week!

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The Denver Coliseum was built in 1951 and is still going strong. Also, it has some really cool metal doors. There's more than one set of them of course, it's a gargantuan building with lots of ways to get in and out. I took this with my cell phone while waiting for Pat to find a parking spot when we went to the powwow a couple of weekends ago.

Mid-Mod Awesomeness

This is the coolest midcentury modern house in the whole city, which is saying a lot. I discovered it several years ago and it was love at first sight. A little internet sleuthing tells me it was built in 1963. Check out the Asian influence in the roofline -- so cool! You can find this beauty a little beyond the bottom end of Palmer Park on Paseo Road, north of the golf course. I love this house!

An Intriguing Building, and Part of Denver History

I spent most of yesterday running multiple errands in Denver with my friend JB, and on the way from errand #1 to errand #2 I spied this amazing mid-century building on Federal and Ohio. I made JB pull a u-turn and park the car so I could get a picture of it. Obviously it's a carniceria now, but I figured it probably started as something else entirely, and I was right. I posted a picture of it in the Oldskool Denver group on Facebook, and within minutes I was getting tons of responses. It turns out this distinctive Googie style building was part of a chain of convenience stores in the Denver area, originally called Auto Mart, with a business model much like 7-11's. Auto Mart soon changed its moniker to Big Top after a renaming contest (perhaps inspired by the circus tent-like roofline of its buildings), and ultimately there were 15 or 16 locations around Denver, about 8 to 10 of which still exist. Big Top was bought out in 1967 and rechristened UtoteM. It was still the same business model, though, and carried on in that vein for a few more years.

Many of the comments on my Facebook post reminisced about the heydey of Big Top/UtoteM, and it was nice reading all the little personal anecdotes. The Oldskool Denver group is great for that! There's a similar Facebook group for Colorado Springs longtime residents, called Old Pics of Colorado Springs, and threads like this happen in that group daily, too.

A couple of the comments also included links to info about Big Top/UtoteM, so if you want to know more, click HERE and HERE. Of note, the dates vary slightly based on who wrote the article, and also the number of locations. But the gist of it is that this chain started around 1958 or '59 and ended up with roughly 15 locations, was bought out and renamed around 1967, and sometime in the 1970s the chain was either bought out again, went under, or dispersed in some way. Depending on which article you're reading, about 8 or 10 locations still survive, most of which house businesses, although two of them are now apparently derelict.

At any rate, I have never seen one of these before despite all the time I have spent in Denver over the years, so this was a great find! I'm so glad that some of these unique buildings still live on and house small businesses, and also live on as happy memories for many old timer Denverites.

It's the Hot Rod Rock and Rumble!

Every year the Pikes Peak International Raceway does a weekend-long event featuring a huge car show, drag races, a pinup contest, tons of rockabilly bands, and even a junior rockabilly contest! I can't believe I've never been to it before, but since this year they hired me to document the pinups, I didn't really have a choice. Ha! I am having a blast and there are plenty of picture opportunities, just like Viva Las Vegas. Here's a little teaser. I'll be there all day tomorrow taking lots of pictures, so be prepared for a great series in the coming days!

Atomic

Colorado Springs experienced a growth spurt in the 1950s and '60s. I think it must have had something to do with the Air Force Academy being built here in 1955-ish. There are quite a few examples of outstanding atomic architecture here, like my brother's house (built in 1960), which is very atomic indeed. There's a subdivision quite close to mine called Valli Hi, adjacent to the municipal golf course by the same name, and it's got some awesome midcentury homes! Take a look at this beauty. Don't you just love it? It would be right at home in Palm Springs, but it's a five minute drive from my own 1958 rancher. I actually took this picture on August 18, 2017 but for some reason never blogged it. I think I was trying to work up a post featuring lots of mid-mod architecture, but didn't ever finish taking pictures of all my favorites around town. This one sure deserves to be seen!

And now, for your listening pleasure...

Brutal

Are you a fan of brutalism? I have to say I'm not as a rule, but there are some pretty cool examples out there so I make exceptions for the good stuff. Mostly, though, I just think it's kinda ugly. Ha! This brutalist staircase/landing/porch/wall thing adorns an otherwise completely unremarkable brick building on the Colorado College campus. I think all brutalism should be photographed in black and white, don't you agree? I took this picture on August 7, 2014, a little over nine years ago. By the way, I'm finally starting to deplete my archives, which is a good thing! I'm on a mission to clear out my hard drive. All of these old images have been a godsend this busy year and have helped me continue to post a picture for you every single day.

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First Lutheran Church on February 3, 2018. This church has a very lovely old building with a deep, colonnaded, wraparound porch, seen here, and a very midcentury modern building right next to it. An odd combination for certain!

The Venetian

Not to be confused with the hotel by the same name in Las Vegas, this little strip mall recently got spiffed up new signage and it rang a bell for Pat. It sits in the same neighborhood where I took the third picture in my July 4th post. We were idly watching the weather forecast a few nights ago when the meteorologist mentioned Papeton as she's done many times before, to which my response is always, "Where the heck is Papeton?" But for once I actually tried to figure out the answer, which took about 10 seconds of googling. Voilà! Papeton is in Venetian Village! I had long forgotten the name, but when Pat heard me read it aloud he mentioned that he had recently noticed that the old strip mall on North Hancock had a new sign that said Venetian on it, and it all clicked for me. So today when I had an errand to run in that part of town, I stopped and grabbed a picture.

I had heard once that there had been a coal mine in that area a century ago. What I didn't know what that the miners lived in a town called Papeton, and according to Wikipedia there was another little coal mining town just north of it called Curtis; that'd be what's called the Cragmor neighborhood now. Who knew? The original houses are gone but street names in Papeton still remain, even though the little town got annexed by Colorado Springs long ago and evolved into Venetian Village in the 1950s and '60s. When I was in college my best friend lived in Venetian Village. And my college boyfriend grew up in Venetian Village. Because of that personal history for me, it's one of my favorite neighborhoods in the city, even if I couldn't remember the name.

And Now, for Something Completely Different

In a stark contrast to Pat's motorcycle pictures that I've been posting all week, here are some vintage toys. Today I went shopping at the antique mall on Academy Boulevard that long ago housed Weberg Furniture (only us Colorado Springs old timers will remember it). I was on the hunt for a 1960s Danish modern dining table, or maybe another Formica table, because I'm redoing the living and dining rooms in my house. I found both, but the Danish modern one was too big and kind of ugly (ha!), and the Formica one was more of a small kitchen table than a dining table. Besides, I've owned a nice red Formica table for decades; it's currently in service as a desk, but hopefully it'll be converted back to my sewing table soon.

So! Since I was disappointed in my hunt for the right dining table, I conservatively added to my collection of midcentury era goodies instead:  a pair of sparkly ear climber clip-on earrings, a little black dress, and a handful early 1960s sewing patterns. I have been a collector of vintage clothing, accessories, kitchenware and other odds and ends since I was a teenager, and I find it very difficult not to buy everything in sight when I go to a place like this. I feel like I did a good job of holding back today! Tomorrow I'll resume the hunt for a dining table.

Throwback

Remember A-frames? They were sort of a mid-century craze based on an ancient architectural style. You don't see many of them being built nowadays, so this work in progress on the west side is a standout. As we were admiring it, the builder's mom (who happens to live next door) strolled over and filled us in on the details. Apparently it's going to be a duplex but I'm still trying to figure out how that's going to work out. It's on a big lot too, so I suppose the space next to it will be filled in next with another cool new house in due time.

It's hard to conceive of a home in this neighborhood going for $899,000, but that's the market in Colorado Springs these days. It ain't cheap to buy here anymore! I'm glad I bought my humble little house in 1997, when real estate was much more affordable for the average person.

Another Favorite

This cool house is in the Old North End, in the pocket neighborhood west of Wood Avenue. I can't remember exactly what street it's on. Clearly it's been remodeled (I wish I could see the inside) and must have started life as a 1960s rancher. The architect has taken care to use its mid-century modern lines as a jumping off point for the update, without obliterating the original spirit of the house. I like!

End of an Era

Like many cities, our downtown has undergone a renaissance or two. Or three. Our first organized "redo" took place in the 1960s and '70s, before I lived here (we moved to Colorado Springs in 1979). A number of old historic buildings were razed, replaced by some mid-century coolness and some not-so-cool brutalist behemoths, most of which remain. A clutch of mid-century movie theaters managed to hang on into the 1980s, but have long since been replaced or repurposed into office or retail space -- one is even a climbing gym now. The lone downtown movie theater survivor is this lovely little gem, probably built in the 1930s and somehow managing to escape the wrecking ball as the decades passed. It was always known as the Peak Cinema, and had really started to decline when it was saved by Kimball Bayles in the mid 1990s. He restored its original Art Déco glamor, started serving wine and desserts, and immediately set it apart from the big multiplex cinemas by featuring independent, arty films. It was an instant success, and in a way it kind of brought downtown more to life. Every city should have a theater like this, a place to see off-the-beaten track films, movies that don't feature car chases or explosions. Movies that make you think.

Kimball died last month of cancer. I did not know him personally but we had many friends in common. His passing sent a ripple of shock and sorrow throughout the community. The cinema is still closed. I truly hope that this isn't the end of it.

A Jan Ruhtenberg House

This is one of my favorite houses in Colorado Springs, because I have a lifelong obsession with Midcentury Modern architecture and design (as I'm sure you already know, if you're a longtime reader of this blog) and this one is a standout. It can be found at the western terminus of Fontanero Street where it ends at Monument Valley Park -- forgive me but the name of the cross street escapes me (Alamo, possibly?). This pocket neighborhood west of Wood Avenue has many older historic mansions, but also a few more normal homes that were built in the 1960s or so. And then there's this gem. I just love this house! My brother Chuck and I were admiring it last month and he mentioned that it was designed by the famous architect Jan Ruhtenberg, who was a close friend of Philip Johnson and who lived and worked here in Colorado Springs for years. Apparently a handful of other Ruhtenberg homes still survive here; I'll see if I can track them down and get some pictures for the blog.

Mid-Mod Among the Victorians

Among the many beautiful, historic Victorians in our Old North End, there are surprisingly a few fantastic midcentury modern homes. This one on Alamo and Fontanero is a personal favorite.

AMF Bowling

The AMF Bowling Alley on North Circle has such a cool paint color scheme! I've been wanting to photograph it for a while and managed to get a snap from the passenger seat of Pat's car over the weekend. This picture doesn't really do it justice. In keeping with when it was built, it's got a great mid-mod vibe. I'll have to go back another day to get more details.

Sunday Style!

As promised, a few fabulous vintage frocks that I spied at the Denver Modernism Show last month. Sigh. I wish I could have bought all of them!

The booth that featured the groovy green dress in the top two photos is apparently a wardrobe supplier to "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel", which is one of my favorite shows. Swoon! Those of us who love 1950s fashion are obsessed with that show. There's even a Facebook group for people who endeavor to sew some of the fashions sported by Mrs. Maisel.

I was pleasantly surprised to run into this Alfred Shaheen dress. It was so cool! Among vintage clothing and fabric collectors, Shaheen is like the Holy Grail of sorts. (If you're curious, you can read more about him HERE.) Of course this dress was pretty expensive so I couldn't buy it, but it was great to see a Shaheen up close and personal.

Sunday Style!

As promised, a sampling of some of the cool, retro-styled humans that I found at the Denver Modernism Show last month. The lady in the photo above was wearing her grandmother's 1960s dress! Isn't it fab? Next week I'll show you some of the outstanding clothes I found but didn't buy.

My awesome friend Michelle, whom you may remember from THIS post. The Denver Modernism Show is her baby. She coordinates it every year and it's a big job!

On the left is Alisa (a.k.a Ms. Retro) and on the right is Debbie, who owns the gorgeous Dodge La Femme that I showed you in THIS post. That vintage camper is also hers. The interior of it can be seen in THIS post.

Another shot of Alisa.

Debbie showing off her beautiful automobile. I love how she dressed to match it.

The Denver Modernism Show 2019 (Part 7)

I'll wrap up my series on the 2019 Denver Modernism Show with the rest of my car pictures, though I will do at least one Sunday Style post dedicated to some to the fashions I saw there. Tomorrow I'll go back to sharing pictures of Colorado Springs. I hope you've enjoyed all the fun retro stuff I've been blogging for the past week or so!

This last automobile is a bonus -- it was in the parking lot and not part of the car show. Gorgeous, isn't it?

September 2019 Theme Day: Red!

Can you believe it's September already? Summer is nearly over! And it's Theme Day again. This month's theme is red. I suppose this post can serve three purposes: 1) the theme; 2) continuing my series on the Denver Modernism Show; and 3) Sunday Style, because this is a pretty cool car indeed, and anyone would look extra awesome driving it! It's a 1953 Studebaker Commander and I think it has beautiful lines.

For more interpretations of red from City Daily Photo bloggers all over the planet, click HERE. And if you're in the U.S., enjoy the rest of your Labor Day weekend -- don't forget sunblock!