The Drive-In, the Supermarket, and the Transformation of Commercial Space in Los Angeles, 19141941

(Paperback)

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Description

This work explores the early development of two kinds of retail space that have become ubiquitous in the United States in the second half of the 20th century. One, external, is devoted to the circulation and parking of automobiles on retail premises. The text analyzes the origins of this development in the 1910s and 1920s, with the super service station and then the drive-in market. The other type of space, internal, was introduced soon after with the single-story supermarket. The author focuses on Los Angeles, the principal centre for the development of both kinds of space, during the period from the mid-1920s to the early 1940s. The study integrates architectural, cultural, economic and urban factors to describe the evolution of retailing and how it has affected the urban landscape.

Reviews

Longstreth's concise account advances, with the clear, plain logic of a perfectly organized aisle at Lucky, a thesis that should make every Angeleno proud.

Author Bio

Richard W. Longstreth is Director of the Graduate Program in Historic Preservation at George Washington University.