KFC
Architect: Jeff Daniels
Date: 1990
Location: Koreantown, Los Angeles, CA
(http://www.danielsarchitects.com/rest_kfc_1.html)
Located about 3 blocks away from my childhood home, I remember going to this KFC a number of times and admiring the building from both the inside and out. This building is a typical Southern Californian "roadside" architecture by Jeff Daniels. The influences of Frank Ghery, whom Daniels worked with from 1978-1980, are clearly exposed with the deconstructivist style. Made of industrial metal, the building's verticality creates sort of a bucket-life formation with a stacked-up feel. The entrance of transparent glass invites customers into the interior. After ordering, an elevator (favorite part of the building when I was a kid) is conveniently located adjacent to the registrar which transports you up into the dining areas (because who needs exercise when you're eating fried chicken??).
The upper level, dining area, is spacious with transparent glass curtain walls. An outdoor dining terrace is also available for those who want to enjoy the warm socal weather, although the view of the korean church parking lot across the street may not be the most appetizing.
Regardless, the building is one of many personal memories with my grandmother who took care of me and my brother for the majority of our childhood. My grandfather refuses to eat chicken after being traumatized when he was younger (he told me he had a chicken as a pet when he was a child and his mother cooked it for dinner one night).
Yet it's not until many years later that I come to appreciate this building from an architectural perspective. Although it's received a lot of criticism, I sing it's praises. It's functional, aesthetically intriguing, and it's been around for over 2 decades without any significant need for structural repair as far as I know. I think it's simply delicious! :)
