The style began in the early 1940's as the car was becoming more widely used, and roadside businesses needed to attract the attention of passing motorists. Thus, the tall structures, futuristic designs and bright lights came into being.
Initially the designs were focused around coffee shops, diners and gas stations, with more mainstream buildings following later. The name, Googie, is derived from a coffee shop of the same name designed by the then leading Googie architect, John Lautner.
The style was fairly short lived, and by the 1960's it was all but dead, being seen as too opulent and frivolous to be considered serious architecture.
Many of the original Googie designs were demolished before a concerted effort could be made to preserve this small chunk of American culture. Still, some relics of the period remain, the most well known being the "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign, which is a classic Googie interpretation in every way.
