Van de Kamp’s/Denny’s

The unique Googie-style Denny’s restaurant on Huntington Drive in Arcadia was acquired from Van de Kamp’s Holland Dutch Bakery in 1989. Completed in 1967, the coffee shop was one of thirteen built with a circular folded-plate roof topped by a 40-foot, stylized version of the company’s trademark windmill designed by Pasadena architects Harold Bissner and Harold Zook. When Denny’s planned a redesign in 1999 as part of a nationwide rebranding campaign, news that the soaring windmill would be removed sparked public outcry. The windmill stopped spinning when Denny’s acquired the building. The company later footed the $100,000 bill for a new motor, reinforced blades, and LED lights (the windmill lights up at night) and on June 29, 2016, the windmill started operation again. The Arcadia location is the only Southern California location with an intact, operational windmill.

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Van de Kamp's/Denny's, Arcadia, Los Angeles County

Van de Kamp's/Denny's, Arcadia, Los Angeles County

Van de Kamp's/Denny's, Arcadia, Los Angeles County

Van de Kamp's/Denny's, Arcadia, Los Angeles County

Van de Kamp's/Denny's, Arcadia, Los Angeles County

Arcadia, Los Angeles County
Photographer: John Bare