Help save a hip Wisconsin Motel

We love preservation efforts here at Mid Century Style Magazine and Motels are our secret passion – ok, maybe not so secret! 🙂 Christi and Mike are trying to save a fabulous atomic Motel in the Bayfield/Ashland area of Wisconsin and if you help them out you can get room credit for a great spot on […]

Capitol Skyline Hotel, Washington DC

The Capitol Skyline Hotel is a hotel located near the United States Capitol in Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. Designed by Morris Lapidus, the hotel opened in November 1962 as the Skyline Inn. Morris Lapidus, an architect, primarily known for his Neo-baroque “Miami Modern” hotels constructed in the 1950s and 60s. A Russian immigrant, living in […]

Catch the sites on Route 66 – Pops, Arcadia OK

We love driving Route 66 and each time we find new sites and fun finds and our favorite on the last trip was Pops in Arcadia Oklahoma. Not only is it a fabulous piece of retro architecture, it’s also a really really fun place to visit! We went at night: A video posted by Mid-century […]

Review: It’s a Mod Mod Mystery! (or two!)

We’re behind on our book reviews and yet we’ve read some fabulous ones lately! If you’re a cozy mystery fan and love to dream of fabulous mid-century decor and fashion, Diane’s books are for you! I already reviewed her first book in this series “Pillow Stalk” but haven’t had a chance to tell you about […]

The influence of the Atom Bomb on 1950’s America

In surfing around the web, we find some folks who have done a fantastic job of capturing important parts of Mid-Century life. One of our favorites is Uncle Jack’s veryvintagevegas.com and in surfing his site we came across this fantastic online master’s thesis from Monique Gaudin on the topic of the Atomic bomb’s influence on […]

Googie and neon sign preservation and museums

One of our favorite mid-century things are Googie signs. There are plenty of photos out there, but one thing is certain and it’s that they’re a dying breed and ripe for preservation efforts. In case you’re not familiar with the term, “Googie” architecture, approximately from 1950-1970, is a futuristic or ultramodern derivative of art moderne […]

The Historic Wagon Wheel Motel in Cuba MO

If you find yourself in the middle of Missouri – you’re going to want to make sure that Cuba Missouri is a stop on your trip! With it’s retro murals and almost Disneylike feel, Cuba is Americana at it’s finest. And it’s here that you find one of the best kept motels along Route 66. […]

The Historic Boots Motel, Carthage, MO

If you’ve been a regular reader, you probably remember our articles in 2011 about saving The Boots Motel in Carthage Missouri. Save the Boots Motel In 2011 the bank put the property on the market, and it was snapped up by the current owners, sisters, Debye Harvey and Priscilla Bledsaw. Fans of old Route 66, […]

Newton Iowa, a midcentury historic downtown

The Newton Downtown Historic District has been entered in to the National Register of Historic Places, effective September 22, 2014. In 2009, the Newton Historic preservation committee looked within the proposed district of 87 properties. Fred Chabot, chairman of the historic preservation committee, said they began by researching the history of those buildings for the required […]

Houses of Spirits

A sampling of Los Angeles midcentury, atomic, and retro liquor stores by new contributor Diane Vallere. Read more about her here. You don’t have to wait until the cocktail hour to appreciate the influence that midcentury modern style had on liquor stores all over the country, but you may want to act quick. The atomic […]