Noticeably absent from this list is yesterdayland.com, whose motto was "your childhood is here." It was a popular, growing website but was taken down in 2003; before that, one could spend hours on it, remembering the old TV shows, fashions, toys, cartoons and music of the recent past. Then, a fan of the site tried to reconstruct what once was. Some of the text and most of the images are gone forever, but fortunately you can still get a taste of what was Yesterdayland, courtesy of the Internet Archive. The Yesterdayland Cafe, "Purveyor of Nostalgic Lifestyles," is a message board community for discussion and linking on this topic. Steve Osborn's This Old Toy is a delightful site that is an index, often accompanied by a history and pictures, of some of your (and your parents') favorite Fisher-Price toys from the past. Covered on this site are over 2,000 different toys and their various incarnations over the decades. Toys are sorted by model number and subject. A for sale section lists vintage toys available for purchase.
More links for Modern living...
The architectural designs of Richard Neutra (pronounced "NOY-tra") are about as futuristic as it gets. He has been dead for over thirty years (d. 1970).
These classic American monuments are being destroyed at an alarming rate. Some of the best Neutra private residence homes, most built in California, have recently been destroyed. The space-age 1961 Cyclorama (slide show) at Gettysburg National Military Park is endangered by our very own National Park Service! They want to completely demolish this national landmark, and build huge parking lots over untouched battleground. There will be plenty of parking, but nothing to see.
In 2002, St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland magnanimously began to restore their Neutra building on their historic campus.
Charles and Ray Eames are synonymous with the Atomic Age. The Library of Congress exhibits their work online. The Eames Office Gallery in Santa Monica, California preserve and makes available classic Eames designs. Modern Wood Works also sell Eames shelving and furniture which you can order online.
Raymond Loewy was the man who invented the boomerang pattern, originally known as the "skylark" pattern.
Herman Miller, noted for his office furniture, was a master of mid-century design, and his company is still selling today.
Chris Jepsen's Googie Architecture Online is a tribute to the beautiful exaggerated shapes, curves and colors unique to what has become known as Googie, an exuberant style of commercial architecture whose origins can be traced to Southern California. This online archive of the Space Age Googie style of architecture is very useful and includes a primer on the style, preservation tips, the latest Googie news and a photographic gallery.
Ron Saari's Googie photo gallery.
"At Home in a House: 1950s," online exhibit of classic retro design at the Illinois State Musuem features common household items of the '50s, including a television, a record player, '50s roller skates, and a planter lamp.
Television in the World of Tomorrow: a gallery of television's display from the New York World's Fair, the formal debut of TV in the USA, April 30, 1939.
Supermarket history and architecture: Groceteria.net
Jen's pixeldecor.com has original backgrounds and clip art.
Retrospective sell mid-century modern dinnerware from the 1940s, '50s, and '60s.
Font Diner: period typefaces.
Glenn Gordon "Gary" Davis designed a three-wheeled car that was super efficient, getting 30-50 MPG and could obtain speeds of 116 MPH. Of the 17 that the Davis Motorcar Company is reputede to have produduced from 1947-1949, only 15 are accounted for. The Davis Registry tracks these cars and offers information about this vehicle.
Online shopping for the Modern lifestyle and even more shopping links ...
Randy Garbin's By the Way magazine.
Motel Americana: A State-By-State Tour Guide to Nostalgic Stopovers by Andrew F. Wood and Jenny L. Wood (Collectors Press 2004). This book "is your off-the-beaten-path inspiration for vacations and weekend getaways with a retro flair."
The Recent Past Preservation Network
The Society for Commercial Architecture
Dirk Burhans' Greasy Spoon, formerly known as Burger Boy Magazine, specializes in vintage American drive-ins, coffee shops and burger stands.
American Highway Project: Americana alongside the road.
Scenic America's Last Chance Landscapes and their main page: scenic.org
Roadside America is an "offbeat" travel and tourism guide.
Debra Jane Seltzer's roadside architecture page is one woman's photographic scrapbook of her roadside travels.
More links on roadside Americana...
Otto Von Stroheim's Tiki News
More links on lounge culture, exotica and tiki...
The always helpful Hints from Heloise.
Cleaning tips from the Queen of Clean.
More links for DIY household hints...
Have a look inside Mike and Bernie's kitchen for authentic recipes from Sokolowski's University Inn, Cleveland's landmark Polish restaurant.
June Meyer's Authentic Hungarian Heirloom Recipes Home Page is a collection of family recipes from Austria-Hungary and Transylvania, well-written and nicely presented.
Amy Gale's rec.food.recipes collection, an archive of classic recipes from the Usenet newsgroup.
The other important newsgroup on this topic is rec.food.cooking. The rec.food.cooking FAQ answers your cooking questions with helpful tips and tricks of the trade.
Search for recipes by type of dish, ingredients needed or type of cuisine at Recipe Source (formerly SOAR, "The Searchable Online Archive of Recipes").
Old-time recipes, including one from a 1930s radio show, come courtesy of Budmar Collectibles & Antiques.
The fatfree archive is housed at LEO ("Link Everything Online") in Munich, Germany.
Mr. Lucky's recommended cocktails.
New World produce and authentic recipes can be had at Rancho Gordo of Napa Valley, California.
More links for good recipes ...
Panis et circenses: "Bread and Circuses" by Steve Bonta (New American, February 10, 2003). Are we living in a modern-day Rome, near the end of the Empire?
On the decline of the United States: "The Eagle Has Crash Landed" by Immanuel Wallerstein (Foreign Policy, July-August 2002)
lostlabor.com hosts photographs and information from when we used to be a healthy production society.
Speaking of the loss of sense of place in our once-grand cities:
SAN
FRANCISCO LOSES LAST JAZZ CLUB
[Sonny] Buxton called the
fact that Pearl's [which shuts its doors April 20] is the city's last
dedicated jazz club "embarrassing." "People think this is a great
cosmopolitan city," he said. "But it's not. It used to be hip."
Atomic Magazine is "the essential guide to the retro revival." It has some interesting information, but unfortunately doesn't go beyond the "cool" aspect of mid-century culture.
Remember to say you found it on moderncleveland.com!
Do you have any other good links to suggest? Let me know!
Most recent update: $Date: 2005/11/14 02:00:30 $