Taschen Publishes Expanded Edition of California Crazy on Pop Architecture

Taschen has released an expanded edition of 'California Crazy and Beyond,' a book documenting eccentric roadside architecture in California. The volume, originally published in 1980 by Los Angeles historian Jim Heimann, explores structures known as 'architecture parlante'—buildings shaped like hot dogs, animals, airplanes, and other forms that visually communicate their function. Heimann, who serves as Taschen's Los Angeles pop culture editor, examines how California's automobile-centric development and optimistic attitude fostered this unique architectural style from the 1920s through the 1950s. The book presents these commercial and folk art buildings as significant examples of American vernacular design and environmental eclecticism.