Bye Bye, Bob's Big Boy On Wilshire

Poor Bob's Big Boy. The franchise comes to the rescue for the (illegally) demolished Johnie's Broiler in Downey, only to find itself evicted from its Wilshire location a few months later. Per the LottaLiving boards, the Bob's located on Wilshire near La Brea has received its eviction notice and will be out by July 31st. The Wilshire Blvd location, built in 1972 by Armet & Davis, is one of the last of the Chula Vista ranch style survivors that were all over Southern California, including Garden Grove, Montebello, and Long Beach. Bob's Big Boy is working with the modcom committee of the LA Conservancy to get the building declared a historic-cultural monument before they're evicted and Beverly Hills BMW moves in to tear it down and build a new dealership. But time is ticking. Most landmark nominations take 30-45 days to process and Bob's was given 60 days notice on its lease. Sister site Eater LA has the scoop on how to petition the potential demolition. In the meantime, you can feast upon the photo gallery above, posted by preservationist Chris Nichols.

Via Chris Nichols:

Bob Wian (who was the youngest mayor of Glendale! Among other achievements) hired some really talented architects to design his stores. Wayne McAllister and David Underwood did all of them until about 1956 when McAllister left LA and Armet & Davis took over the gig. A&D did incredible, flying roof futuristic restaurants for Bob’s like they did for Norms and Pann’s and Denny’s. However, by 1968, communities were calling for more restrained designs, and operators were promoting the “warmed up” coffee shop. This prototype design is called the “Chula Vista” Bob’s, after the first store built in the style (That original location is now a horribly remuddled Coco’s). The Wilshire store opened in 1972 and is probably the best preserved example of a Chula Vista Bob’s. The design utilizes A&D trademarks like an open interior, dynamic roof, innovative construction (glue lam beams, HVAC in the bulkheads instead of overhead, refrigeration cork on the ceiling) and incorporated art (stained glass) but rendered in a hybrid Spanish/Ranch house style. It even has a front lawn, for crying out loud. This is supposed to be a suburban rancho, but created and presented by folks who had been trying to grab motorists attention and get them in for a meal.