Orange Roofs, Golden Arches: Architecture of American Chain Restaurants

'Orange Roofs, Golden Arches' is a rare gem of a book. I am fascinated with the 50's style 'googie' design, but I am also a fan of that weird 'Earthtones, brick red & orange' style which replaced it. This book covers the history of resturaunt architecture fairly throughly, documenting chains changes and why the changes where made. This was eye opening to me, who bemoans 'Why are they always changing things?" The ONLY negative is the ugly cover, but at this price that no big deal, just a shame because this book deserves better. This book is nice trip down memory lane, even if you never experienced the resturaunt in question!

Landgon's book is thoughtful, well-researched, and generally quite interesting. Though the topic is somewhat obscure, it does seem that chain restaurants manage to take on the trappings of all the trends in vernacular architecture (often in exaggerated form). The focus on restaurants makes for a good lens through which to see all these changes.Langdon takes us back to the 1880s and the restaurants that served weary railroad travelers, through the colonial and art deco/moderne styles of the '20s and '30s, the bold modernism of the '50, to the environmental movement of the '70s and '80s, when every little Burger King suddenly acquired wooden shingles and a (pseudo-)mansard roof.It's quite an interesting journey, and a good read for those who are interested.