Taking a stroll down Prospect Boulevard, and its "sister" streets, Prospect Crescent, Prospect Terrace, and Prospect Square in Pasadena as I did yesterday is a real sensory experience. The entire district is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and deservedly so. Protected by a canopy of oak and camphor trees, the district is an eclectic mix of architectural styles, many designed by well known architects. The Mediterranean Revival style house designed for Alice M. Skinner by architect Harold Bissner in 1925 is representative of what you might expect to see during a visit.
Located at 440 Prospect Square. Please do not use this image in any media without my permission. © All rights reserved.
Tags: Archiref Pasadena Architecture Pasadena Heritage Pasadena Treasures of Los Angeles Architecture Michael Locke Michael Locke, Photographer Michael Locke, Realtor Los Angeles Architecture
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We first moved to Southern California in 1958; my father John A. Locke, had just accepted a position as Assistant Engineer at Van de Kamp's Holland Dutch Bakery. Moving from Portland, Oregon, my folks looked for a house close to work with good schools; they settled in Glendale, California and dad went to work everyday at the Van de Kamps plant located at the corner of San Fernando Road and Fletcher Drive. At the time, windmill restaurants like the one above, dotted the Southern California landscape. The restaurants always had a section where you could purchase goodies from the bakery, served by waitresses dressed in Dutch costumes. During the summers, my brother Dave and I would accompany my dad down to the plant and give him a hand replacing the caster wheels on the carts where the baked goods were first placed for cooling and packaging. Our reward was getting to spend time with each other and stuffing ourselves with pies and cookies from the packages that were not fit for delivery. The architect, Harold Bissner and my dad were good friends; he was Van de Kamp's "official" architect, designing not only buildings for the bakery but private residences as well.
The Van de Kamp Windmill Restaurant is one of the few remaining and is now a Denny's restaurant located on historic Route 66 in Arcadia, California at 7 E. Huntington Drive (corner of Santa Anita Avenue) .
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Tags: archiref Architecture Arcadia Arcadia Architecture Michael Locke Michael Locke, Photographer Treasures of Los Angeles Architecture Harold Bissner Van de Kamps Van de Kamps Holland Dutch Bakery Michael Locke, Realtor
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We first moved to Southern California in 1958; my father John A. Locke, had just accepted a position as Assistant Engineer at Van de Kamp's Holland Dutch Bakery. Moving from Portland, Oregon, my folks looked for a house close to work with good schools; they settled in Glendale, California and dad went to work everyday at the Van de Kamps plant located at the corner of San Fernando Road and Fletcher Drive. At the time, windmill restaurants like the one above, dotted the Southern California landscape. The restaurants always had a section where you could purchase goodies from the bakery, served by waitresses dressed in Dutch costumes. During the summers, my brother Dave and I would accompany my dad down to the plant and give him a hand replacing the caster wheels on the carts where the baked goods were first placed for cooling and packaging. Our reward was getting to spend time with each other and stuffing ourselves with pies and cookies from the packages that were not fit for delivery. The architect, Harold Bissner and my dad were good friends; he was Van de Kamp's "official" architect, designing not only buildings for the bakery but private residences as well.
The Van de Kamp Windmill Restaurant is one of the few remaining and is now a Denny's restaurant located on historic Route 66 in Arcadia, California at 7 E. Huntington Drive (corner of Santa Anita Avenue) .
UPDATE: Beginning June 29, 2016, the windmill is slowly spinning again on the last of the Van de Kamp’s windmill restaurants, located in Arcadia. The windmill, motionless since 1989, was restored and switched on in a ceremony yesterday, reports the Pasadena Star-News.
The Denny’s at the corner of Santa Anita and Huntington Boulevard was the first windmill restaurant of Van de Kamp’s Holland Dutch Bakery’s coffee shop chain to be built with this cool, windmill design from architect Harold Bissner and Harold Zook. Today, it’s the last of them left, and, according to the LA Conservancy, it’s the last surviving windmill-topped restaurant in all of Southern California, too.
The Googie building opened, windmill spinning, in 1967. The windmill was halted in 1989, when Denny’s took over. The building is around today because of "loud public outcry" when Denny’s tried to demolish the structure in 1999. Denny’s still owns the building, and seems to appreciate the structure more fully now: They footed the $100,000 bill for a new motor, reinforced blades, and LED lights. (The windmill lights up at night.)
"It’s a bigger bill than we initially thought," says Denny’s president and CEO John Miller, who was present for the switching-on ceremony. "But we figured when the windmill is still spinning in 100 years, the cost won’t matter."
The windmill is "set to spin all day, every day, for the foreseeable future," says the Star-News.
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Tags: Van de Kamps Arcadia Arcadia Architecture Michael Locke Treasures of Los Angeles Architecture Harold Bissner John A. Locke John Locke Van de Kamps Holland Dutch Bakery Michael Locke, Editor Michael Locke, Photographer Glassell Park Denny's Restaurant archiref Michael Locke, Realtor
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Growing up in Glendale, California, the name "Harold Bissner" came up frequently in conversations with my dad, John A. Locke. As Chief Engineer at Van de Kamp's Holland-Dutch Bakeries, Dad was involved in every decision regarding plant maintenance and construction as well as new projects and capital acquisitions. Bissner was one of the chief advisers to Van de Kamp's in those days, and Dad greatly appreciated his advice and consent.
Bissner practiced architecture for sixty-five years throughout Southern California, specializing in Mediterranean motifs. He also designed the hexadecagon shaped windmill for Van de Kamps Bakeries with a folded plate roof. One of the restaurants still survives at the intersection of Huntington Drive and Santa Anita Avenue in Arcadia, California.
Please do not use this image in any media without my permission.
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Tags: Pasadena Architecture Pasadena Pasadena Heritage Treasures of Los Angeles Architecture Michael Locke Michael Locke, Photographer Michael Locke, Realtor
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Classic Spanish Colonia Revival built in 1932 by Henry F. Lafler and attributed to Pasadena architect Harold Bissner. The four bedroom, four bath house in 6,746 total square feet is currently May 2014) on the market and listed for sale for $3,850,00 and described in the listing, "The main residence has over 5,500 square feet plus two full guest houses, on almost three-quarters of an acre with spectacular mountain views. Four bedrooms, all en-suite with remodeled bathrooms, entry hall with sweeping staircase, step-down living room with fireplace, library with fireplace, private study with coffered ceiling and rich wood paneling, formal dining room, gourmet kitchen with entertaining pantry, breakfast room with vaulted ceiling and walls of French doors, sewing room, exercise room, laundry room, and a family room with fireplace. Both guest houses offer open floor plans, kitchenettes, 3/4 baths and walk-in closets. The grounds feature pool and spa, outdoor kitchen and pergola-covered dining area, additional entertaining areas, landscaped gardens plus a lawn area, three-car finished garage, dog run, fruit orchard, grape arbors, and aviary".
Tags: Harod Bissner Altadena Altadena Architecture Michael Locke Michael Locke, Photographer Michael Locke, Realtor Archiref Treasures of Los Angeles Architecture Los Angeles Architecture Spanish Revival
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