Euphoria Personified.

The optimism and euphoria that swept the country after World War II infused the outlook of 1950s architects. These men and women, already influenced by the brilliant Frank Lloyd Wright, had access to amazing new construction materials and building techniques generated by war technologies. Now it was time to design the postwar nation: the future was theirs.

Cars.

Simultaneously, the car culture exploded. Huge, flashy American cars laden with shiny chrome and fitted with futuristic tail fins traveled the roads between the cities and the burgeoning suburbs in ever-increasing numbers.

Question: How is it possible to lure the people in those cars off the highways and into the coffee shops and drive-in restaurants that sprang up across America? Answer: Use outrageous buildings as advertisements. There would be wild shapes, brilliant colors, and bright, spotless interiors combined with...