Cliftons cafeteria huell howser dies

Clifford, one of Edmond's five children, learned the restaurant trade while working in his father's restaurants. Along with two partners, he bought his father's interest in Dennets. Due to differences in opinion over business practices, he relinquished ownership to his partners and moved to Los Angeles in Establishing his restaurants during the height of the Great Depression[ 3 ] and using knowledge gained from working in his family's cafeteria chain in San Francisco[ 19 ] Clinton made a point to never turn anyone away, even if they had no money, seeking to average only a half-cent profit per customer.

The restaurants had been cafeteria style with each dish sold on a pay-per-item basis. Featured were fountain soft drinks and classic American fare such as roast beefbrisketmeatloafand turkey, with a wide assortment of traditional sides. Additionally, Clifton's offered vegan options. Olive St. Organ music and singing attendants. A novel feature at both places is the bulletin board just outside the entrance, where listings are displayed for employment, barter, sightseeing, and appeals for congenial friendship.

At Brookdale a 'country' atmosphere has been created with artificial trees, vines, brook, and waterfall. In[ 20 ] Clinton leased a "distressed" cafeteria location at South Olive Street in Los Angeles and founded what his customers referred to as "The Cafeteria of the Golden Rule". Route 66was notable for serving people of all races, and was included in The Negro Motorist Green Book.

Inthe founders of Clifton's remodeled the restaurant to change it from a conventional dining establishment to a more exotic setting and renamed it "Clifton's Pacific Seas".

Cliftons cafeteria huell howser dies

The exterior and interior were decorated with 12 waterfalls, volcanic rock, and tropical foliage. Brightly illuminated in the evening, it became a mecca for tourists and Angelenos alike, often being referred to in the same category as other prominent landmarks of downtown Los Angeles, such as Angels FlightOlvera Streetand Pershing Square. Initially, the Los Angeles Architectural Commission was so unhappy with the facade and the decor that they threatened suit.

The Garden was first conceived by Clifford E. Clinton in as an interpretation of the famous artist Heinrich Hofmann's Christ in Gethsemane. Clinton commissioned sculptor Marshall Lakey to fashion a life-sized figure of Christ, kneeling in prayer. Clifton's Pacific Seas was visited by Jack Kerouac who wrote in On the Road of visiting "a cafeteria downtown which was decorated to look like a grotto, with metal tits spurting everywhere and great impersonal stone buttockses belonging to deities and soapy Neptune.

People ate lugubrious meals around the waterfalls, their faces green with marine sorrow". Inalthough the three-story structure with its cascading waterfall facade had become a landmark over the preceding 29 years, the original Clifton's Pacific Seas was closed, the building was razed, [ 28 ] and the location turned into a parking lot.

A much smaller version in the form of a side-room bar and named the Pacific Seas resides at their still existing location and pays homage to the original and its history. Cafeteria at S Broadway in Los Angeles. Having himself spent time as a youth the Santa Cruz Mountains not far from the Brookdale Lodgehe chose to redecorate the facility in to pattern it after the lodge.

Petersen, created a life size forest on canvas to cover one wall, [ 24 ] and a small chapel was set among the crags to fulfill Clifford's desire to feed the soul as well as the body of depression -weary Angelinos. The restaurant was described as one of the last vestiges of Old Broadway in downtown Los Angeles, with an interior that looks like a "slightly down-at-the-heels Disney version of a twilight forest".

There was a secret room on an upper floor. There was also another set of restrooms down the stairs in the bottom basement. The restaurant's busiest period was in the s, with as many as 10, customers forming lines down Broadway, but by Clifton's regularly serves 1, to 2, daily. In SeptemberClifton's Brookdale was sold to nightclub operator Andrew Meieran, who stated that he intends to preserve the food and atmosphere of the establishment.

Meieran estimated that the cafeteria would reopen in about 18 months. It may be the oldest continuously illuminated neon light in the world. The director of the Museum of Neon Art called the discovery "incredible". The revamped restaurant had multiple eating and drinking establishments inside the building, including a bakery, a cliftons cafeteria huell howser dies of the original classic cafeterias on the ground and second floors, an old-school steakhouse on the third floor, and a tiki themed bar on the fourth floor, to be named "South Seas" in honor of the original facility.

Broadway had many delays, the initial goal of Andrew Meieran was to re-open the facility in early It is set to reopen in early In Januaryit was announced that the Lakewood Center in Lakewood, Californiawould in become the location for the third Clifton's cafeteria. In[ 20 ] after moving from its original West Covina location due to an expiring lease, Clifton's relocated to inside the Westfield Shoppingtown West Covina [ 45 ] and renamed itself "The Greenery" for its garden theme.

Incliftons cafeteria huell howser dies was broken in Century City, Californiafor a opening of a new branch. Inthe company opened "Clifton's Silver Spoon" at W. The Marshall Lakey statue of Christ, which had been placed in storage upon closure of Pacific Seas inwas returned to display when a new Garden was created in the new location.

Clifton's opened a branch in Woodland Hills, California and currently operates as an event venue open to the public. It closed into the dismay of local long-time patrons who frequented it as a gathering place. The theme was Holland, and it was called The Holland House. It featured windmill murals, and a quaint ambiance reminiscent of old Holland.

The restaurant has made an impression on many who have visited. LA Weekly : " Clifton's Cafeteria, that Depression-era palace of retroville. Clifton's Cafeteria, the kitschy cool L. In Los Angeles Off the Beaten Pathauthor Lark Ellen Gould describes Clifton's as "part national park kitsch, part Disney nightmare, part Grandma's house with fake squirrels, taxidermied deer, stuffed moose, and faux waterfalls", [ 54 ] and it is described by Los Angeles Times as one of the last vestiges of Old Broadway in downtown Los Angeles, with an interior that looks like a "slightly down-at-the-heels Disney version of a twilight forest".

The day after Howser died, friend and producer Ryan Morris confirmed to NBC La that the broadcaster had been battling cancer for the past two years. Online tributes created by ardent fans, See full article at Huffington Post. Similar News. Huell Howser. Retrieved The Panther. Archived from the original on January 11, Sacramento Bee.

Archived from the original on December 1, Collins, Scott 28 November Retrieved 12 January Rokos, Brian; Johnson, Nikie January 17, The Press-Enterprise. Archived from the original on January 20, Retrieved January 15, Braxton, Greg January 7, Retrieved 9 January Romero, Dennis. LA Weekly. Mackie, Drew 7 January Retrieved 21 October Retrieved January 8, Doti, James L.

The Orange County Register. NOTE: quotation is from embedded video at 3m 40s. October 19, Retrieved April 16, Adam Carolla. April 2, Archived from the original on July 22, Further reading [ edit ]. External links [ edit ]. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Huell Howser. Authority control databases. Phillippe's would do just the trick, I think!

He was the BEST!!! I think Philippe's is the unanimous decision. We would love to have you join us Loved this man. So sad it finally took him. So sad! He was a transplanted treasure in our midst and I will definitely miss him! What a touching eulogy for Mr. Huell Howser! Thank you for doing this post. I will truly miss this winsome, curious, idealistic, loveable man.

He is definitely the best of California. I am so glad for the legacy that he has left behind and excited to visit the many places in California he has uncovered. Thanks Crystal Lee!!! Hopefully, everyone will be able to come! Well, you just made me cry at work. Huel was a fixture in our home as well and his spirit will always have a special place in the home of my heart.

I was a little weepy all day when I heard the bad news. Nobody can take his place but I'm glad that he inspired me and so many others; his legacy of finding joy in weird stuff and cool places will thrive! Although I am not familiar with Huell, I think he would have been quite happy to read this glowing tribute to him!! Be sure to tell us about your memorial get together!!!!

Thanks RS!!! My mom sent me a text last night that said he'd passed and I'd heard about it online, but didn't really know much about the man. I learned a lot about him from this wonderful tribute post and the videos you put up-- the elephant one might be the best. RIP, HH! Even though he was born in your neck of the woods, we definitely claim him as our own.