Fabulous 50's "Little Boxes" of Daly City

Posted by Alex in Architecture, Travel & Places on August 14, 2008 at 1:59 pm



Photo: thomwatson

I used to live very close to Daly City in Northern California – and I’ve always wondered about the distinctively retro cute houses in the Westlake district of the city. So it’s a pleasant surprise to read a post about the 50’s "Little Boxes" at The Retro Blog:

A perfectly planned suburban community, the “little boxes” of Daly City feature bright 50’s colors, sharp, interesting angles, abstract garage door art, and creative atomic landscaping. Retro Renovations recently did a post on the topic, which brought my attention to the “little boxes” flickr photo pool as well as a book devoted to the subject.

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COMMENT

9 comments to "Fabulous 50's "Little Boxes" of Daly City"

  1. Zav
    August 14th, 2008 at 2:12 pm

    It must be that those shapes are extra resistant to fog. Not like Daly City ever gets foggy.

  2. McCobb
    August 14th, 2008 at 2:49 pm

    Now I have that theme song from Weeds in my head (I'm sure that wasn't your intention when when you put quotation marks around "Little Boxes").

  3. Rick n SF
    August 14th, 2008 at 3:06 pm

    Did I hear they used the Westlake Addition as the inspiration for the neighborhood in Edward Scissorhands? Friends of mine just moved out of that area, really lovely.

  4. joe
    August 14th, 2008 at 3:55 pm

    i spent the first few years of my life in one of those houses. all i remember from it is that my mother says i fell down some stairs into the garage

  5. EEM
    August 14th, 2008 at 4:15 pm

    Dude I have a friend that lives in one of those!!!

    That's so funny, I never really noticed this as "neat" before.

    parking in that area sucks....

  6. Theron
    August 14th, 2008 at 4:46 pm

    I lived in one of those houses at 308 Skyline Drive in Daly City until I was 10 years old.

    The great thing about being a kid in that neighborhood was you always knew were the bathroom was, no matter whose house you were in. In the hallway, the bathroom is on one side, and the closet on the other, but the houses were built in left- and right-hand configurations, so you had a 50/50 chance if both doors were closed and you weren't thinking about it.

  7. Sofar
    August 14th, 2008 at 6:10 pm

    Aw how cute. Wish it had its original windows, though.

  8. prophet
    August 14th, 2008 at 11:19 pm

    What specie is that lovely tree?

  9. Rich
    August 17th, 2008 at 11:01 am

    McCobb: Westlake, the suburb featured here, is the suburb that inspired Malvina Reynolds' "Little Boxes" song. The title here wasn't an accident, I'm sure!


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