At the Beach in California  with a Kodak camera

Circa 1920

The woman on the left is ready to snap some pictures with her Kodak Brownie camera.

South Boston, Massachusetts

Circa 1920

"Smile for the Camera!"

No. 2 Folding Autographic Brownie

Circa 1915-1926

The vintage Kodak Brownie is an iconic series of simple, affordable box and roll-film cameras introduced by Eastman Kodak in February 1900. Frank A. Brownell designed the first model which sold for $1.00 and made snapshot photography popular for everyday people. Kodak named the line after the cartoon "Brownies" created by Canadian author and illustrator, Palmer Cox.

Commerical Legacy:  The Brownies became the first major comic characters licensed for mass merchandising in North America (appearing on toys, games and soap) and directly inspired the name of the iconic Eastman Kodak Brownie Camera.

Kodak produced nearly 100 different models over more than eight decades ending production around 1986 with the Brownie II. Depending on the model, Brownies used modified roll films such as the Target Six-20.

Target Six-20

The Target Six-20 camera with its original box.

Kodak Brownie No. 2 Model F

Circa 1924

No. 1 Brownie Model B

Circa 1904-1916

Kodak Brownie Advertisement

Brownie Flash III

Made in England by Kodak Limited London

Circa 1957-1960

A camera competitor in the 1960s was the Weston Speed Argus C-3 "brick" 35 mm rangefinder film camera with a 50mm lens.  It was a classic and reliable choice for film photography enthusiasts.  Made in the United States by Argus, known for its quality craftsmanship. It sold over 2 million units and became one of history's best-selling rangefinder cameras.  Argus Camera Company stopped making original American cameras by the late 1960s.

Argus C-3 Rangefinder

1939-1966

The Argus Musuem

Argus was founded and headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan as a subsidiary of the International Radio Corporation. Located in the historic Argus building in Ann Arbor preserves the company's history prototypes and a collection of over 4,800 items.

"Kodakery" refers primarily to historical publications, an employee newsletter and an official media program created by the Eastman Kodak Company or inspired by its legacy. Inspired by Kodak's monthly magazine of the same name that appeared from 1913 to 1932, Kodakery featured photography tips, photo-essays and included a free one-year subscription with the purchase of any Kodak or Brownie camera.

Issued monthly by Eastman Kodak Company

Rochester, New York 

A complete set

Circa 1916

"Mama, don't take my Kodachrome away!"

..recorded by American singer-songwriter, Paul Simon..

Release Year 1973

 

The Mighty Mac

Mackinac Bridge

Mackinaw City, Michigan

The Mackinac Bridge is a massive suspension bridge that connects the Lower and Upper peninsulas of Michigan.  It spans the Straits of Mackinac, connecting Mackinaw City  (south) and St. Ignace (north).  Its total length is 26,372 feet (about 5 miles) making it one of the longest suspension bridges in the world.  The bridge opened to traffic on November 1, 1957.  Its designer was Dr. David B. Steinman.  Its two man towers rise 552 feet above the water.  The main suspension span is 3,800 feet long.  

Before the bridge ferries ran between Mackinaw City in the Lower Peninsula and St. Ignace in the Upper Peninsula.  The state automobile ferry service began in 1923, expanding to a large fleet that included ships like the City of Cheboygan and the Vacationland.  Earlier railroad car ferries, established around 1881 by the Mackinac Transportation Company, also transported train cars across the straits.  

The 5-mile crossing took about an hour, but wait times to board a ferry often lasted hours or even up to 24 hours during peak travel periods like holidays or deer hunting season. Trafic lines for the ferries could stretch for many miles during peak summer tourist weekends. 

Construction History

Official construction began on May 7, 1954. Workers sank massive steel caissons into the bedrock to anchor the bridge towers. Spinning the massive steel suspension cables started in the summer of 1956.  The bridge was engineered to handle extreme winter winds up to 150 miles per hour. Over 11,000 workers helped built it.  Sadly, five men lost their lives during construction. 

Over 3,500 skilled men including ironworkers, divers and laborers braved terrifying heights and brutal conditions to construct the bridge.  They did this long before modern federal safety agencies existed, risking life and limb daily.  

Walking on Clouds

Twenty-one-year-old ironworker, Joe Oldeck recalled walking 550 feet p the narrow catwalk on a foggy fall morning.  He explained that they suddenly cleared the fog halfway up, revealing a beautiful surreal view where it felt "almost as if you could walk on the clouds."

Defying the Gales

Ironworkers frequently stood on steel beans just 12 inches wide, hundreds of feet above the water, facing powerful open-water winds coming off Lake Michigan with nothing to slow them down.

The Untimate Sacrifice

Tragically, five workers lost their lives during the project. They were Albert Abbott, Jack Baker, Robert Koppen, Frank Pepper and James LeSarge. All five men were officially memorialized on a plaque in Bridge View Park.

Opening Day Ceremonies

The bridge officially opened on a cold, breezy morning fulfilling a decades-long dream.

The Strategic Speech

The realization of the bridge was championed heavily by political figures.  Critics originally called the project "Soap's Folly" claming the underwater soil couldn't hold the weight and that winter ice packs would destroy the pillars. 

An Emotional Unity

During the formal ceremony in the middle of the bridge span, Governor G. Mennen Williams declared ..

"Where nature divided us, we have bound ourselves together with this web of steel."

Vehicles lined up for miles, waiting through the night for the ferry docks to close and the bridge gates to open.

The First Official Passenger

Governor Williams paid the very first toll.  Interestingly, because the Governor had not driven a car in a long time and did not have an active driver's license, his wife Nancy took the wheel and drove their official vehicle across.

The First Paying Customer

A colorful Chicago native named Albert Carter secured the spot as the first playing member of the general public.  Carter was an eccentric traveler who specialize in  being first in line for historic events including world's fairs and major expressway openings.  He paid $3.25 to drive his green1951 Chevrolet Deluxe Station Wagon across the Mighty Mac. 

It goes without saying what the economic impact the bridge immediately had on the Upper Peninsula.

The Mighty Mac

The bridge closes on rare occasions during severe winter weather including extremely high winds, low visibility or falling ice.  According to Google, there have only been approximately 33 ice related closures.

 

Big Donut Drive-In

805 W. Manchester Blvd.

Inglewood, California 

"That's one Big Donut"

Built in 1953 as the second location in the chain, this is the most famous example featuring a 32.5-foot rooftop donut.  It operates 24 hours a day.

Novelty architecture is a style of design where buildings and structures are shaped like everyday objects, anmals or famous landmarks usually to advertise what is sold inside or to draw in roadside travelers. One example of novelty architecture is the Big Donut Drive-In.

The Big Donut Drive-In was a pioneering mid-century Southern California fast-foot chain created in the early 1950s by Russell C. Wendell featuring a 32-foot-diameter giant donut. Wendell was a doughnut machine salesman and started the chain in 1950 in the Los Angeles area.  Wendell built 10 locations there featuring the giant rooftop donut to catch the eye of passing drivers. One of his most famous surviving locations is the Inglewood shop which was later renamed Randy's Donuts

The location has appeared in tons of movies, TV shows and music videos. 

Opened in 1953.  Architect was Henry J. Goodwin.

Circa 2005

Circa 1977

Robert Eskow bought the Inglewood shop from Wendell and renamed it Randy's Donuts after his son. The colossal donut sign atop its original building near Los Angeles International Airport and the Manchester Boulevard off-ramp of the San Diego Freeway (I-405) is considered as "one of Los Angeles' most iconic landmarks.  It intersects with La Cienega Boulevard

The 1959 opening of the Van Nuys branch of Big Donut Drive-In (L to R) Russell C. Wendell, co-founder Royal Stearns, Miss Nan Nuys Jan Richards and Nels LaVally from the Van Nuys Chamber of Commerce. 

Russell C. Wendell

(1919-1992)

 

Theme Building

201 World Way

Los Angeles, California

Circa 2007

The Theme Building at Los Angeles International Airport is a mid-century modern architectural icon shaped like a landed flying saucer on four sweeping arches. Designed by the firm Pereira & Luckman. Construction began in 1957 and was completed in 1961. Founded in 1950 by University of Illinois classmates William Pereira and Charles Luckman, the partnership brought togther Pereira's background in West Coast architectural design and Hollywood art direction with Luckman's executive expertise as the former president of Lever Brothers.  At its peak, the firm was one of the largest in Los Angeles, employing over 300 architects including renowned figures like Paul Williams.

The Theme Building was built as a visual anchor after an ambitious central glass dome master plan was scaled back.

It was designated the Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 570 on December 18, 1993. It features a massive tuned mass damper or counterweight to reduce vibrations added in 2010 to protect the structure against seismic activity. 

The structure was dedicated on June 25, 1961 by Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson.

It exemplifies Space Age architecture, representing postwar optimism for the Jet Age and space exploration. The crossed stucco-covered steel arches create an illusion of motion and structural lightness, serving as a symbollic gateway to Los Angeles.

It formerly hosted the elevated 360-degree view observation deck (closed in 2018) and the futuristic Encounter Restaurant (operated 1997-2013).  A $4 million renovation with retro-futuristic interior and electric lighting designed by Walt Disney Imagineering* was completed before the Encounter Restaurant opened.  An airport spokesperson said that because of its appearance and views, some people thought it revolved after visiting it, even though it did not revolve.

  The Encounter Restaurant closed for business in December 2013 with no future plans to reopen.  The reason cited was that the restaurant was in a non-secure area of the airport being located outside the airport's secured area, necessiating passengers to pass through security lines twice which was a significant deterrent.  

*Walt Disney Imagineering was founded by Walt Disney in 1952.  The connection between Walt Disney Imagineering and the Encounter Restaurant is one of the rare instances where Disney's master theme designers were hired to create an experience outside of their traditional theme parks.  In the mid-1990s, LAX underwent a massive upgrade to its food and beverage facilities.  Concessionaire CA-One Services secured the contract to revamp the restaurant space inside the iconic, flying saucer-LAX Theme Building originally built in 1961.  Looking to maximize the building's striking mid-century architecture, they hired Walt Disney Imagineering to completely reimagine the interior. Led my Senior VP of Concept Design, Eddie Sotto, WDI turned the space into a high-concept, retro-futuristic dining experience.  

Disney Imagineers treated the space as if it were a Tomorrowland attraction, spending $4 million to execute a vision Sotto described as a place where "George Jetson, James Bond and Barbarella could drink together".

The experience began at the ground level, where guests stepped into an elevator featuring custom galactic graphics and sound effects to simulate as ascent into an alien spacecraft.  The center of the restaurant featured a crater-shaped bar equipped with custom "bar guns" that emitted interactive laser lights and space-age sound effects whenever a bartender poured a drink. Renowned designer, Lisa Krohn was brought in to create pod-like chairs that appeared to float in mid-air.  The flowing, abstract linework on the carpet was intentionally designed so that no pattern repeated anywhere on the floor.  WDI lighting specialist, Michael Valentino designed an exterior and interior lighting system that bathed the Theme Building arches in shifting shades of electric blue and magenta making the entire structure look dynamic at night.

The restaurant officially opened as Encounter in January 1997.  Thanks to its Disney pedigree and striking atmosphere, it initially thrived as a hotspot for both tourists and Hollywood celebrities like John Travolta and Quentin Tarantino.  However, the restaurant faced severe operational hurdles following the September 11 attacks which restricted airport access to ticketed travelers and closed the building's popular observation deck.  Combined with subsequent structural repairs and retrofitting closures, foot traffic plummeted.   The Encounter Restaurant permanently closed its doors in December 2013, leaving the iconic WDI-designed interior urrently inaccessible to the dining public.

LAX is currently undergoing a massive $30 billion modernization overhaul ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games which includes the construction of an Automated People Mover train system.  While a LAX planning document noted that the train will bring significantly more foot traffic into the general vicinity of the Theme Building, the transit system will not connect directly to the building. 

Former Walt Disney Imagineering Senior VP, Eddie Sotto (who designed the original restaurant) has publicly noted that the configuration of the new People Mover severely lacks proper integration with the historic landmark, missing a prime opportunity to easily funnel visitors into the space.

As of 2026, the upper restaurant level is reportedly being used primarily for storage and official airport fact sheets have confirmed there is no active plan or designated timeline for its future.  The lower ground level of the Theme Building does remain active, but strictly as a USO center providing lounge and travel services to military service members and their families.  The building's famous observation deck which briefly opened on weekends after the restaurant's closure has also been entirely closed to the public since late 2018.

While aviation enthusiasts frequently discuss a desire to bring a restaurant back to the space, airport officials have found the logistics unviable in the modern era of aviation travel.  For now, the Imagineered interior remains frozen in time as an historic relic.

Encounter Restaurant

Circa 2013

 

The Rich-Twinn House

145 Main Street

Akron, New York

The Rich-Twinn House is the only period octagon house in Erie County.  This geometric wonder was constructed circa 1850 on what was then the outskirts of town by Charles Rich, a mulifaceted local businesssman.

Akron was settled originally by the Seneca people and by the late 1850s, Akron grew to be a valuable gypsum and limestone cement source for the rest of the area. Octagon houses were a phenomenon from the 1850s to the 1870s.  They were constructed from all the major building materials, including cobblestone and concrete, but most of them were wooden.  Only an estimated few thousand were ever built, with approximately 120 of them in New York State.  

Because of the era in which they were built, octagon houses tended to be either Greek Revival or Italianate in style, but some were Gothic Revival or Moorish as well. They ranged from one to four stories, but the majority were two stories.  Many of them sported octagonal cupolas.  The most famous, or infamous, octagaon house in the United States is the two -and-a-half story brick mansion called Longwood in Natchez, Mississippi.

One of the more interesting aspects of the Rich-Twinn House is that the primary working entrance leads into the basement where the receiving area and kitchen are located. The more ornate exterior entrance brings visitors to the first-floor hall, through which they access the dining room and drawing room.  On the second floor are the bedrooms and a curved staircase to the cupola.  As with most octagon houses, the forty-five-degree angles produce rooms that are not rectangular. 

The building passed through a series of owners after it was sold by the Rich family and over the decades the deteriorating process of time was not kind to the house.  The Newstead Historical Society has been its custodian since 1981 and over the following two decades, restored the structure as close as possible to its original grandeur.  It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 10, 1995 and is currently operated as a house museum and is occasionally open for touring. 

  

🌟 Happy 75th Anniversary 🌟

..the first I Love Lucy broadcast on CBS..

The Girls Want to Go to a Nightclub

..the first episode to be broadcast on CBS..

The plot:  Lucy and Ethel wanted to celebrate Fred and Ethel Mertz's 18th anniversary at a nightclub while Ricky and Fred prefer to go to a boxing match.

On this day, Lucy fans around the world celebrate the 75th anniversary of I love Lucy which aired on CBS from October 15, 1951 to May 6, 1957 spanning six seasons and 180 half-hour episodes. The show became the most-watched show in the United States and was the first to end its run at the top of the Nielsen ratings. 

 

The Siesta Court in Alpena, Michigan offered colorful spring chairs.

Sylvester, Georgia 

These court linen postcards are vintage American postcards produced roughly from the 1930s through the 1950s that advertised roadside motor courts.

Smith's Motor court

Mrytle Beach, South Carolina 

Many of these motor courts were located on U.S. Route 20. They offered vintage charm and direct exterior parking. 

A Postcard of the Motel Inn

Circa 1940s

The term "motel" itself is a blend of "motor" and "hotel" coined in 1925 by Arthur Heineman when naming the Miletone Mo-Tel in San Luis Obispo, California because he ran out of space on his sign.  It was the oldest motel in the world opening on December 12, 1925. 

  Across the country, thousands were touring in their cars.  Auto travel was becoming normal though on this day in San Luis Obispo, a town roughly between Los Angeles and San Francisco, something totally new was happening.  An architect and developer named Arthur Heineman had spotted a niche in the market.  His response was the Milestone Mo-Tel Inn.

Heinemann created a hotel designed specifically for drivers.  It had small garages next to several dozen  bungalows.  It cost $80,000 to build in its ornate Spanish-mission style with a three-tired bell tower,white pillars and a tree-fringed courtyard.  Up to 160 people could stay at the motel.  Units had modern conveniences and there were even rooms for chauffeurs.

It wasn't long before the Milestone had competition from other motels.  Heineman had originally planned to open a chain with 18 California locations, but he wasn't successful.

Starlite Tourist Camp and Diner

"Your Home Away From Home"

Circa 1952

Westfield, New York

The owner was Bert Maggio.  The Starlite Diner originally operated as a vintage train-car style diner with quaint cottages on US Route 20. Motor courts and cabins  heavily relied on linen picture postcards for tourism advertising.