The Toed Inn (oil on canvas 1990)
(The cars: a 1940 and 1941 Willys Coupes)

The Willys as a popular choice for a hot rod didn't become a popular favorite until drag racers began using them because of their light weight bodies.  In the 1950's and 1960's many of their body designs became recognizable drag racing Icons from model years 1933 to 1941.  The Toed Inn was located on Channel Road in Santa Monica Canyon, California. To drive up to a place like this was like living in fantasy land which was the intent because from about the time of the 1870's California had been promoting itself as the land of exotica. Native Californians and vacationers alike cultivated the myth until it became a reality.  

With the advent of the automobile and developing roads, the Idea of the roadside business designed to accommodate the automobile was a new concept. Paved roads, street signs, traffic signals, parking meters, traffic cops, traffic tickets, street lights as well as electricity to power them and the city were new ideas as well. Many of them were just that, ideas, yet to be developed or employed.

Because all of this was still in it's infancy no standardized methods, laws or procedures yet existed.  What  and how to create the road and the roadside business and what and how to communicate the commercial Interest was about as free and as open as it gets for people with Imagination.  The Idea of creating quirky fantasy architecture seemed natural especially considering a concerted broad scale effort was in the works to make California as unusual and distinct from the rest of the country.  It was all part of the sales pitch of selling the easy going mild climate lifestyle of California.  

The Idea of this fantasy approach to architecture also seem to synchro-mesh with the emerging movie business collectively projecting Southern California as a real live fantasy land.