Starting in the 1920s, inventive entrepreneurs started creating attention-grabbing buildings to appeal to passing drivers and while they were initially dismissed as monstrous, their appeal has endured. The image above represents The Brown Derby, which was located in Los Angeles, California.

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Toed Inn, 12008 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California. 1940.

‘Combine a freethinking populace with a desire to reinvent itself, and a climate was created that served as the perfect incubator for the outrageous and amazing’ – Jim Heimann

All photographs: Jim Heimann Collection/Taschen

Big Donut Drive-In, 805 West Manchester Boulevard, Inglewood, California, 1955.

‘With an urban landscape rapidly closing in, the competition for customers’ attention became acute and the luxury of open space and high visibility the first generation of buildings experienced was no longer there. The giant sign fulfilled the new roadside expectations. Russ Wendell realized this when he planned his Big Donut chain in 1949’ – Jim Heimann

Trees of Mystery Park, Redwood Highway, California, 1950.

‘It could well be argued that the high point of California’s image as the land of the unique was directly tied to the emergence of California as Automobile-Land. In addition to providing the means to realize suburbia, that greatest of American ideals, the automobile encouraged an entirely new way to experience the built or planted environment’ – David Gebhard

Sanderson Hosiery, 11711 Olympic Boulevard, West Los Angeles, 1949.

Owner: AA Sanderson‘Most of the striking commercial statements of this era were reserved for signage, three-dimensional figures, and buildings that were simple to construct.’ – Jim Heimann

Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, 6925 Hollywood Boulevard, California. 1927

‘Attendants attired in period outfits led patrons to their seats. Here Sid Grauman initiated and refined the movie premiere by drawing movie stars and the attention of the world to his Hollywood theater. It was another grand illusion on the city streets’ – Jim Heimann

Pup Café, 12732 West Washington Boulevard, Culver City, California, 1934.

‘Within LA’s urban spread, the evolving commercial strip of Washington Boulevard in Culver City was littered with a series of fantasy buildings. A precursor to filmland’s famed Sunset Strip, this main artery to the beach also served as a direct route to the many studios in Culver City.’ – Jim Heimann

Hoot Hoot I Scream, 1201 Valley Boulevard, San Gabriel Valley, 1932.

‘In extending the search for more exotic solutions, Native American imagery was tapped not only for its references to the old West but also for the intrigue of relatively obscure ancient American civilizations.’ – Jim Heimann

Coffee Pot, 8601 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, 1935.

‘Los Angeles’ gift to America of buildings and signage represents a mixed-up world of fact and myth. Promotional trade, popular, and professional publications obviously delighted in illustrating Los Angeles’ roadside buildings in the forms of oranges, jugs, and flowerpots.’ – David Gebhard

Mailbox, Los Angeles, 1917.

‘California’s position as a magnet for nonconformist beliefs further enhanced the construction of buildings in Hollywood.’ – Jim Heimann

The Cream Can, Los Angeles, California, 1928.

‘The Hollywood connection, the sprawling geography, and the culture of the automobile propelled this architectural type to prosper and flourish there— making California a bit more crazy than the rest of the world.’ – Jim Heimann