Architect breaks down how the American diner got its signature look
It's a story as complex as America itself.
Architect Michael Wyetzner explains why all diners look the same.
The classic American diner is a quintessential image of American culture. Even if each individual spot has its own nuance, there’s a distinctive look that is instantly recognizable. What’s more, there’s a certain feeling that all diners seem to evoke—one of exuberance and electricity. (The neon lights certainly help with that.)
Since the look of retro American diners is so unmistakable, one might assume that it solely originates from the 50s, when in actuality, it’s a history as complex as America itself.
In a video produced by Architectural Digest, Michael Wyetzner of Michielli + Wyetzner Architects breaks down the fascinating four-decade evolution of the American diner—going from the 1920s through to the 1960s—and reveals how that iconic diner look is an amalgamation of designs, all symbolizing America's relationship to transportation..
Diners were inspired by the dining cart of a train, hence how they first got their name. It also explains why the original diners emulated a train’s design—stainless steel exterior, long and narrow interiors using booth seats, having an open kitchen, even the use of art deco typography, checkered floors, globe lights and jukeboxes. As Wyetzner explained, many diners were simply repurposed diner carts.
By the 1950s, the train was quickly being replaced by automobiles. To catch the eyes of potential customers passing by at 40 miles per hour, diners adapted to incorporate vibrant, happy colors and cartoony, geometric-shaped exteriors. John Lautner, an architect who designed the famous Googies in Los Angeles, really brought this trend to popularity, even leading to this particular style of architecture being named “Googie style.”
Other diners would attempt to intrigue customers with the convenience of never having to leave their cars, bringing us the first glimpses of drive-thrus, though the first diners of this style looked nothing like today’s McDonald’s. Cars would park facing the diner and food would be served on automated conveyor belts. Even these buildings, Wyetzner noted, had a design similar to the wheel of a car, thus still keeping to a transportation theme.
Cut to 1955, and not only did we have a rise in airplane travel, but the space race had also kicked into high gear. So why not have people eating in a spaceship? This time period brought us flying saucer-shaped buildings boasting 360° views, with some, like Seattle’s Space Needle or the Theme Building outside the LAX airport, even being suspended in midair.
“It sort of represents springing into the air this whole idea of space travel, where the impossible becomes possible. This is what the future could be, let’s build it now,” Wyetzner says in the video.
Eventually, this optimism and patriotism would come crashing down with the Vietnam War and the fight for civil rights, making the American diner no longer a symbol of America’s bright future, but a relic of its past.
Just like much of America’s culture, the American diner is a complex collage of ideas, blended together through equal parts hope and innovation. And though our views towards the U.S. might have changed since the 1950s, history has shown us time and time again that this is a good thing. After all, there are plenty of diners all over the country—all over the world, for that matter—that still bring people that kind of joy.
Watch the full video here:
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An Irish woman went to the doctor for a routine eye exam. She left with bright neon green eyes.
It's not easy seeing green.
Did she get superpowers?
Going to the eye doctor can be a hassle and a pain. It's not just the routine issues and inconveniences that come along when making a doctor appointment, but sometimes the various devices being used to check your eyes' health feel invasive and uncomfortable. But at least at the end of the appointment, most of us don't look like we're turning into The Incredible Hulk. That wasn't the case for one Irish woman.
Photographer Margerita B. Wargola was just going in for a routine eye exam at the hospital but ended up leaving with her eyes a shocking, bright neon green.
At the doctor's office, the nurse practitioner was prepping Wargola for a test with a machine that Wargola had experienced before. Before the test started, Wargola presumed the nurse had dropped some saline into her eyes, as they were feeling dry. After she blinked, everything went yellow.
Wargola and the nurse initially panicked. Neither knew what was going on as Wargola suddenly had yellow vision and radioactive-looking green eyes. After the initial shock, both realized the issue: the nurse forgot to ask Wargola to remove her contact lenses before putting contrast drops in her eyes for the exam. Wargola and the nurse quickly removed the lenses from her eyes and washed them thoroughly with saline. Fortunately, Wargola's eyes were unharmed. Unfortunately, her contacts were permanently stained and she didn't bring a spare pair.
- YouTube youtube.com
Since she has poor vision, Wargola was forced to drive herself home after the eye exam wearing the neon-green contact lenses that make her look like a member of the Green Lantern Corps. She couldn't help but laugh at her predicament and recorded a video explaining it all on social media. Since then, her video has sparked a couple Reddit threads and collected a bunch of comments on Instagram:
“But the REAL question is: do you now have X-Ray vision?”
“You can just say you're a superhero.”
“I would make a few stops on the way home just to freak some people out!”
“I would have lived it up! Grab a coffee, do grocery shopping, walk around a shopping center.”
“This one would pair well with that girl who ate something with turmeric with her invisalign on and walked around Paris smiling at people with seemingly BRIGHT YELLOW TEETH.”
“I would save those for fancy special occasions! WOW!”
“Every time I'd stop I'd turn slowly and stare at the person in the car next to me.”
“Keep them. Tell people what to do. They’ll do your bidding.”
In a follow-up Instagram video, Wargola showed her followers that she was safe at home with normal eyes, showing that the damaged contact lenses were so stained that they turned the saline solution in her contacts case into a bright Gatorade yellow. She wasn't mad at the nurse and, in fact, plans on keeping the lenses to wear on St. Patrick's Day or some other special occasion.
While no harm was done and a good laugh was had, it's still best for doctors, nurses, and patients alike to double-check and ask or tell if contact lenses are being worn before each eye test. If not, there might be more than ultra-green eyes to worry about.