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Mid-century modern buildings/signs In the post-war years, as more families started traveling the United States by automobile,  Las Vegas proved to be a requisite stop along their way. Clusters of motor courts and motels (motor + hotel) popped up along east Fremont Street and to the north and south on Las Vegas Blvd. to meet the need for inexpensive lodgings. Read more...

Brutalist buildings Located at the University of British Columbia, the Museum of Anthropology is world renowned for its collection of Northwest Coast First Nations art and artifacts and is definitely worth checking out. Architecturally speaking, however, it’s all about the award-winning building that houses said artifacts, and for that reason this 1975 Arthur Erickson designed glass & concrete brutalist monument Read more...

Mid-century heritage Not only is the Museum of Vancouver a great place to learn about the city’s heritage, but it’s also located inside one of Vancouver’s most jaw-droppingly awesome mid-century modern structures, the H.R. MacMillan Planetarium building, c.1968 (now called the H.R. MacMillan Space Center). Inside, the three museum wings are clustered around a central core (the planetarium) that house permanent Read more...

Mid-century inspired art Inspired by the Atomic Age  esthetic of The Jetsons, L.A. artist Nat Reed reinterprets mid-century Americana from the 1950s and 60s in loose, rich commercial-type renderings. His small gallery in downtown Palm Springs is like walking into a candy store full of rainbow colored treasures. From Tiki to Googie to Kitsch, Reed’s work is full of fun, cultural and architectural Read more...

Mid-century popular culture Nuclear testing near Las Vegas drew thousands of curiosity seekers to the city in the 1950s and early 60s. The Atomic Age was big business and Las Vegas cashed in with Atomic themed drinks, beauty pageants and flashy marquee signs. Who knew the Atomic bomb could be so much fun? The National Atomic Testing Museum takes a different Read more...

Mid-century modern buildings Part Theater, part Convention Center, part Arena; the Neal S. Blaisdell Center (named for the city’s former mayor, 1955-1969) spans an entire city block and was designed by the architectural firm of Merril, Simms & Roehrig, as well as Adrian Wilson & Associates who designed its Arena. Upon opening in 1964, the Honolulu International Center – as Read more...

Mid-century vintage signs If you’ve ever wanted to get up-close and personal with vintage Vegas neon signery, this is the place to do it. Although there are several restored neon signs on display throughout the downtown Fremont Street area and along North Las Vegas Boulevard as part of the Las Vegas Signs Project and National Scenic Byway, the “Boneyard” is Read more...

Mid-century modern buildings The North Vancouver City Hall is a great example of how to save a vintage building through restoration, renovation and repurposing while also using recycled and natural elements to help keep the structure sustainable. In 2013, a vacant library next to the 1970s City Hall heritage building was repurposed as staff offices and meeting space while a Read more...

Mid-century modern buildings Located at the busy intersection of South Beretania and Pikoi Streets is the unique Occidental Life Insurance Building designed by Lemmon, Freeth & Haines, circa 1951. It’s a beautifully constructed early 1950s low-rise office building made from natural stone, concrete, aluminum and angled glass. Not surprisingly, though, the real attraction is the 1967 addition of a cantilevered Read more...

Mid-century residential buildings Before 1956 if you’d wanted to build an 18-story waterfront tower in Vancouver’s residential West End it wasn’t possible, but adjustments to the city zoning regulations by a progressive City Council changed all that and by 1958 the first residential high-rise at English Bay  went up. And what a building it was… and still is! Designed by Rix Reinecke of the architectural design Read more...

Mid-century modern buildings/plaza The best thing about this downtown mid-1970s Miesian office building’s namesake is its plaza. Sure, the 26-story, glass curtained tower – designed by Charles Paine – evokes an elegantly timeless mid-century modern vibe, and it’s a gorgeous structure to be sure, but it’s the open concrete plaza at its base (also by Paine) tying it all together with Read more...

Vintage restaurants Nothings says vintage Las Vegas like dark wood paneling and shiny brass fixtures, especially if your idea of vintage Vegas is a rat pack-style retro steak house. Fortunately, there are a handful of such places that still exist, the oldest dating back to the 1950s. Listed from ‘less vintage’ to ‘most vintage.’  Click on addresses below for Google Read more...

Mid-century & vintage collectibles For nearly 40 years, Bob & Linda Blaise have been peddling an eclectic collection of vintage wares not only to the public, but also to top Hollywood set decorators. One step inside their modest shop and you’ll see why; the place is packed with treasures dating back to the mid-century and beyond. With vintage Life Magazines, View Read more...

Mid-century accommodations Located in the Historic Tennis Club neighborhood near the base of Mt. San Jacinto, the Orbit In exudes a retro “rat pack” vibe, even boasting an actual boomerang bar to prove it! Designed by Herbert Burns as “The Village Manor” in 1957, and relaunched as the Orbit In in 2001, this oasis of cool features 9 poolside studio rooms Read more...

Mid-century/brutalist buildings Built in 1967 on the grounds of Exhibition Park – home to Hastings Racetrack, Playland and the Pacific National Exhibition – the Pacific Coliseum is an exercise in Brutalist minimalism; a simple circular building boasting a ring of convex concrete panels and warm natural stone at its entry ways.  Inside it’s large and open and the entire structure Read more...

Mid-century buildings/Vintage Eats Since 1964 the Pagoda Floating Restaurant has been a fixture in the old Pawa’a neighborhood of central Honolulu; a kitschy, mid-century, circular building surrounded by a man-made tropical pond filled with Japanese koi fish and a waterfall. It’s classic Hawaiiana. The Pagoda exudes that authentic, artificial island-style tropical oasis feel – which includes an adjoining hotel with Read more...

Mid-century buildings The Pali Highway, also known as Hawaii Route 61, connects communities like Kailua  and Kaneohe  from the windward side of Oahu to downtown Honolulu. It’s a quick 20-30 minute drive through the Nu’uanu Pali tunnels (built in the 1950s) in either direction. On the way you’ll see a handful of pretty nice modernist buildings in the lush Nuuanu Read more...

Mid-century/desert modern buildings Hidden in plain site, many of Palm Canyon Drive’s mid-century modern commercial buildings are easy to overlook, but if you can see past the “gingerbread” of their contemporary trappings then you’ll notice some pretty innovative work. By no means are these all the modernist buildings in Palm Springs (there’s a lot!), simply a few of our favorites along Palm Read more...

Mid-century art museums Located at the base of Mt. San Jacinto in the heart of downtown Palm Springs, architect E. Stewart Williams designed the Palm Springs Art Museum’s current home, which opened in 1974. Architecturally dramatic and a remarkable example of the evolution of desert modernism (or perhaps, desert brutalism), the 150,000 sq. ft. space holds a diverse art collection that’s filled with Read more...

Mid-century/vintage collectibles The Palm Springs Vintage Market takes place the first Sunday of every month (October thru May) downtown at 356 N Calle Encilia, just north of the Agua Caliente Casino and offers a variety of merchants selling rare vintage and retro items from fashions to furniture and everything in between. A great place where you can enjoy the outdoors, Read more...

Mid-century modern architects Taking a page from Hollywood’s playbook – and its Walk of Fame –  in 1992 the city of Palm Springs began honoring those whose contributions and presence in the area contributed to the charm, worldwide prominence and name recognition of the city. Since then, nearly 400 Golden Palm Stars have been embedded in the sidewalks along Palm Read more...

Mid-century/desert modern houses Southern California architects Dan Palmer & William Krisel, who’d successfully built hundreds of mid-century modern post & beam tract homes in Palm Springs during the 1950s & 60s, were tasked by local developer Irwin Molasky  to design a majority of Clark County’s first planned community, Paradise Palms, and they knocked it out of the park. This progressive 1960s subdivision Read more...

Mid-century/contemporary furniture Located in the lively and eclectic neighborhood of Mount Pleasant, Parliament Interiors offers affordable mid-century reproductions and originals with an eye towards style. Specializing in space-saving furniture and accessories for modern living (that means you, apartments dwellers & condominium owners!), this stylish showroom includes contemporary modular and multifunctional furnishings along with inexpensive reproductions of classic pieces by Eames, Read more...

Mid-century furniture & apparel Kate Aldrich and Tim Shaffer have been winning over locals since opening their high end vintage decor & apparel shop in 2012. Mid-century modern furniture from Knoll to Nelson share a lot of square footage with ceramics, lighting, glassware, artwork, apparel and even vintage eye wear – hipsters will have a blast trying on retro frames! Read more...

Mid-century vintage diners/bars Las Vegas’ original 24-hour coffee shop and ultra lounge has been serving up huge portions and stiff drinks for over 40 years. An offshoot of Reno’s Peppermill & Lounge when it opened across the street from the formerly iconic Stardust Hotel & Casino (rest in peace) in 1972, this place was an instant hit with Strip performers and Read more...

Mid-Century Furnishings Just East of Palm Springs off Hwy. 111 in Cathedral City is a group of Mid-century Modern vintage stores well worth the short drive. 68-929 Perez Road is home to four different shops, each specializing in different aspects of the Mid-century vernacular, including: Hedge – A combination of unique art pieces and restored higher-end Mid-century furnishings. Spaces – Read more...

Housing the world’s largest collection of vintage pinball machines under one 10,000 sq. ft.  roof, the Pinball Hall of Fame is really a pop culture museum of sorts showcasing hundreds of machines dating back to the 1950s… and they all work! From classic penny drop machines like “Skill Roll” to the 1960s Apollo space program-inspired “Lunar Shot,” this arcade/museum delivers Read more...

Mid-century/desert modern buildings The desert can be a spiritual place. For modernist architects William F. Cody, E. Stewart Williams, Albert Frey, and others, each borrowed from their surroundings to create unique and inspiring mid-century places of worship, be it from personal inspiration or the materials they used for construction. Corresponding photos are above… just click on addresses below for Google Map Read more...

Mid-century modern buildings Currently known as the Kaheka Professional Center, this modernist mid rise office building at the corner of S. King and Kaheka streets was designed by architect Ernie Hara in 1956 and was Honolulu’s very first curtain wall  structure. Hara breaks up the glass and aluminum facade, though – typical of the International Style – by incorporating sleek, horizontal Read more...

Mid-century modern buildings & art Currently home to the Vancouver Opera and Ballet BC, the Queen Elizabeth Theatre (1959) was the result of an international architectural competition held by the City in the mid 1950s when Vancouver asserted itself as a major player on the world’s cultural stage. The winning Montreal firm of Affleck, Desbarats, Dimakopoulos, Lebensold, Sise  used period Read more...

Mid-century/desert modern houses The Alexander Construction Company almost single handedly changed the face of Palm Springs between 1955-1965, building nearly 2,500 post & beam mid-century modern homes and doubling the city’s population in the process. These modern homes have since been dubbed the “Alexanders,” a large portion of which were built near the popular Racquet Club and were spearheaded by architect William Read more...

Located at the corner of N Palm Canyon Drive and W Racquet Club Rd., this 11,000 sq. ft. showroom boasts an ever-changing collection of midcentury classics and eclectic ephemera that should satisfy any vintage picker. From the 1950s to the 1980s and everything inbetween, you’ll find well priced, unique items at Re[x], including wall hangings, rugs, pop culture items, Blenko Read more...

Vintage mid-century antiques Voted best vintage/retro furniture store in Vancouver (2015) by readers of the Georgia Straight, this fun, busy Main Street location is packed so full of mid-century treasures that you’re bound to find something you can’t live without. Even film industry set decorators are frequent customers, and for good reason, Refind Home Furnishings boasts classics, kitsch, Tiki and Read more...

Vintage mid-century furniture Arguably, downtown’s first business dedicated to mid-century modern vintage, this large store has it all; history, style and a 1950s pink kitchen display to die for. From mid-century ceramics and clocks to modern art and vintage finds that would make your grandmother proud, they stock historically significant pieces and also offer short term rentals. As if that Read more...

Vintage fashion & decor The thrift store to end all thrift stores, the majority of  Revivals vintage merchandise – which includes retro furniture, housewares and clothing – comes from donations and consignments. They are also, largely, a volunteer-run operation which enables them to contribute the majority of their proceeds towards the Desert AIDs Project, which is a great reason to Read more...

Retro diner & memorabilia Including a restaurant on our vintage shopping page may not be an obvious choice, but this popular 1950s-style diner in the middle of busy Waikiki also stocks and sells a lot of mid-century memorabilia. Jukebox music along with classic burgers, fries & shakes share space with vintage popular culture collectibles including rare and highly coveted original Marilyn Read more...

Retro mid-century apparel If retro, rockabilly and pin-up is your thing, then Rockin’ Bettie is the store for you. A cute little fashion boutique specializing in brand new retro styles by designers with names like Daddy O’s and Peanuts, Rockin’ Bettie also carries unique retro-style shoes, accessories and homewares. They even have a studio in the back where dames and Read more...