Googie-style Norms on Pico Boulevard will close for good on Christmas Eve

The Googie-style Norms diner on Pico Boulevard in Rancho Park, a neighborhood just south of Westwood, will shutter just before midnight on December 24.

“A 47-year fixture within the Westwood community, Norms has been forced to close the restaurant due to the landlord’s intent to redevelop the property,” the company said Friday in a statement.

Eye-catching Googie architecture, defined by its dramatic angles, bold colors, and starbursts, was home-grown in Southern California.

Starting in 1949, local cafes, car washes, hotels, and bowling alleys were built in the style, which was influenced by cars and jets and rocketships. Norms Restaurants are classic examples. The La Cienega location was landmarked by the city last year after it was threatened with demolition. But many other Googie buildings have been destroyed, according to the Los Angeles Conservancy.

LA Observed broke the news of the Pico Boulevard location’s closure Friday morning, citing an email from the West of Westwood Homeowner's Association.

The property, between Westwood and Sepulveda, sold in April 2015 for $8.25 million, property records show.

It, along with a neighboring parking lot at 2360 Camden Avenue, had been marketed by CBRE as site ripe for retail development: “The properties would be suitable for a wide range of retail, office and residential uses. New apartment and retail developments are located across the street.”

Those marketing materials said Norms’ lease expired December 31, 2016—with no option to renew.

• Norms on Pico looks to be closing this month [LA Observed]
• An Introduction to Googie, SoCal's Signature Architectural Style [Curbed LA]
• Mapping 15 of Los Angeles's Most Glorious Remaining Googies [Curbed LA]
• The Midcentury Diners of Los Angeles Look as Dashing as Ever [Curbed]