Eldon Carlyle Davis (February 2, 1917 – April 22, 2011) was an American

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

, considered largely responsible for the creation of

Googie architecture Googie architecture ( ) is a type of futurist architecture influenced by car culture, jets, the Atomic Age and the Space Age. It originated in Southern California from the Streamline Moderne architecture of the 1930s, and was popular in the U ...

, a form of

modern architecture Modern architecture, or modernist architecture, was an architectural movement or architectural style based upon new and innovative technologies of construction, particularly the use of glass, steel, and reinforced concrete; the idea that for ...

originating in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban ...

. Googie architecture is largely influenced by Southern California's

car culture Since the start of the twentieth century, the role of cars has become highly important, though controversial. They are used throughout the world and have become the most popular mode of transport in many of the more developed countries. In dev ...

and the

Space Age The Space Age is a period encompassing the activities related to the Space Race, space exploration, space technology, and the cultural developments influenced by these events, beginning with the launch of Sputnik 1 during 1957, and continuing ...

of the mid-20th century. Davis was a founding partner of the Armet & Davis

architectural firm In the United States, an architectural firm or architecture firm is a business that employs one or more licensed architects and practices the profession of architecture; while in South Africa, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark and other countr ...

which championed Googie architecture, including the original Norms Restaurant, a Googie coffee shop designed by Davis. For his work, the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

'' called Davis, "the father of the

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

coffee shop."

Biography

Eldon Davis was born in Anacortes,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

in 1917. He originally worked at a fish cannery while attending the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8. ...

. He created a new design for the fish cannery as an architectural student, a design that was later built. Davis earned a bachelor's degree in architecture from the University of Southern California in 1942. Davis and his business partner, architect Louis Armet, expected to work in

industrial architecture Industrial architecture is the design and construction of buildings serving industry. Such buildings rose in importance with the Industrial Revolution, starting in Britain, and were some of the pioneering structures of modern architecture. File: ...

following their graduation from USC. However, their plans changed thanks to the post-war construction boom in

following

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. They began designing structures geared towards a growing population, including nurseries, churches,

country club A country club is a privately owned club, often with a membership quota and admittance by invitation or sponsorship, that generally offers both a variety of recreational sports and facilities for dining and entertaining. Typical athletic offe ...

s, banks and even

bowling alley A bowling alley (also known as a bowling center, bowling lounge, bowling arena, or historically bowling club) is a facility where the sport of bowling is played. It can be a dedicated facility or part of another, such as a clubhouse or dwelling ...

s. In 1947, Davis and Armet opened their architectural firm, Armet & Davis. Together, the architects used their firm and its designs to champion

, especially in California. The firm exists today as Armet Davis Newlove Architecture and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California. One of the best preserved examples of Davis's work is the Pann's coffee shop and its

neon sign In the signage industry, neon signs are electric signs lighted by long luminous gas-discharge tubes that contain rarefied neon or other gases. They are the most common use for neon lighting, which was first demonstrated in a modern form in Dec ...

Westchester, Los Angeles Westchester is a neighborhood in the City of Los Angeles and the Westside Region of Los Angeles County, California. It is home to Los Angeles International Airport, Loyola Marymount University, Otis College of Art and Design, and Westchester ...

. Davis also designed the early prototypes for local Big Boy and

Denny's Denny's (also known as Denny's Diner on some of the locations' signage) is an American table service diner-style restaurant chain. It operates over 1,700 restaurants in many countries. Description Originally opened as a coffee shop under th ...

restaurants in Los Angeles. The older buildings on the Fullerton campus of

Hope International University Hope International University is a private Christian university in Fullerton, California. It enrolls around 1,140 students. While Hope is non-denominational, it has strong ties to the Restoration Movement and the Christian churches and churche ...

also display Davis's classic Googie style. Eldon Davis died of complications from

spinal meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, headache, and neck stiffness. Other symptoms include confusion o ...

, at a hospital in

West Hills, Los Angeles West Hills is a suburban / residential community in the western San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California. The percentage of residents aged 35 and older is among the highest in Los Angeles County. The neighborhood was for ...

, on April 22, 2011, at the age of 94. He was survived by his second wife, Luana; a daughter, Karen; three sons, Dan, Mark and Wyatt; five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, Audrey and Connor. His first wife of more than thirty years died in the 1970s.

References

External links

Armet Davis Newlove Architecture website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Eldon 1917 births 2011 deaths Modernist architects from the United States 20th-century American architects USC School of Architecture alumni People from Anacortes, Washington Architects from Washington (state) Deaths from meningitis