Safeway marina variants
Posted: 02 Feb 2007 06:31
The former marina Safeway in Daly City (now Pacific Super) was a major part (for better or worse) of my family's shopping in my youth, and probably a major reason I ended up getting into supermarket architecture.
Anyway, after having seen hundreds of photos of marina Safeways (and personally visiting 20+ active or former sites in the last few months), I got to thinking...what design variants existed for the prototype? The description at the Groceteria Safeway section serves as a useful rubric, but with the months of research I've done, there appears to be more than just two styles (notwithstanding gables).
Here are the ones I know of, differentiated by the roof design for the most part. Other details (entrance awning, side or front entrance, Safeway front letter plate) can be discussed later...
Wingless marina: A marina without the "wings", with only the arched section of the building. I actually only know of three or four units that used this: 7th Avenue in San Francisco (probably the longest to operate, and now the last to close), one in Winnipeg (unknown location, but I've posted the photo of it in the Canada Safeway thread), one in San Mateo that was gone by the early 1980s, and one in Santa Clara that Justin Karimzad told me about. The 7th Avenue marina actually predated the Marina Boulevard location by a few months (both were opened in 1959).
http://dtcwrt.earlracing.com/stores/1127/dcfc0059.jpg (7th Avenue)
Winged marina, level arch: The basic, most familiar design, as seen when the Marina Boulevard location opened up. Arch roofline levels off to the wing roofline, seamlessly. Numerous examples.
http://dtcwrt.earlracing.com/stores/1231/dcfc0011.jpg (Marina Boulevard)
Here's an odd variant in Helena, Montana.
http://flickr.com/photos/bonkrood/45457634/
Gull Wing marina: One of the first distinctive variants, the term comes from this page: http://www.dkbennett.com/safeway.html - not as common as the level arch marinas or the raised arch marinas of later, but very striking. Examples include the Ellice Avenue store in Winnipeg from that link, the current Tognotti's Auto World in Arden-Arcade (Sacramento), the marina in Wichita serving as a community center, and Red Bluff, California's library (which closed in 1982 as a supermarket and reopened a couple of years later in its current incarnation). Another is in Oakland, serving as a Walgreens.
http://dtcwrt.earlracing.com/stores2/102/dcfc0089.jpg (Arden-Arcade)
http://www.agilitynut.com/06/4/gsafeway.jpg (Wichita)
Here's a really futuristic looking take on gull wing, in Lethbridge, Alberta from 1960 (since replaced):
http://tinyurl.com/yav3gj
Winged marina, high arch: Generally, from about 1964 on, this design became the most common variant, where a marina arch with two flat stubs stands alone a few feet above a flat wing roof. The recently Lifestyle-remodeled Safeway at Mission and 30th in San Francisco is probably one of the best examples of this, as is the endangered unit in Albany. A Vons in Carpinteria is another nicely preserved example, and the marina Vons in Long Beach has this as well (with a slightly thicker arch).
http://dtcwrt.earlracing.com/stores/1223/dcfc0003.jpg (Albany)
I don't know how to classify one former Safeway in San Jose though, now Marina Food (Monterey and Senter at the 7 Trees Shopping Center), which does not have flat stubs off of the arch, but otherwise seems to fit the prototype.
http://dtcwrt.earlracing.com/stores/1229/dcfc0120.jpg
Conversion: Very rare, some stores were converted from pylon to marina style. Two only received a marina falsefront - one in Eugene, Oregon at 849 West Sixth, and one in Miles City, Montana now serving as a Pepsi plant. One which received a full blown conversion, of course, is the still-operating flagship store at 2020 Market Street in San Francisco.
http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/6784/dcfc0040em3.jpg (Market Street)
http://flickr.com/photos/dave_mcmt/280849254/ (Miles City)
"San Diego" implanted arch: Seen only in Southern California, and primarily in San Diego, I do know a different architectural firm from the SD area did architectural work for Safeway in the 60s, and this was probably their handiwork. One Vons at 1342 North Alvarado in Los Angeles has this look. Another is the location at Fern and Grape in San Diego, now Galafood (may be demolished though as it was being slated for redevelopment in 2005).
http://static.flickr.com/9/69504284_b4d854b53a.jpg (North Alvarado)
Reverse Marina: a very rare design where instead of a half-dome arch, the arch was cut in half and then turned in on itself, creating a V shaped roof. I only know of two examples, both in Alberta: 4th Street in Calgary (since replaced) and the Banff Safeway (still open). I think though DCGrocery has a photo of a false-fronted example though.
http://flickr.com/photos/46103073@N00/265000155/ (Banff)
http://tinyurl.com/ylcph4 and http://tinyurl.com/yjxbpo (Calgary)
Double Marina: I've never seen this style outside of here:
http://flickr.com/photos/43638298@N00/211171381/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/54177448@N00/238043446/
New Marina: After emailing the architect responsible for this Safeway, I got confirmation from him that it was directly inspired by the original Marina. Constructed in 2004, it can be found in suburban Salinas on Constitution Boulevard (a few miles east of 101).
http://www.johnsonlyman.com/Projects/Retail/Salinas/
Any others I haven't thought of?
Anyway, after having seen hundreds of photos of marina Safeways (and personally visiting 20+ active or former sites in the last few months), I got to thinking...what design variants existed for the prototype? The description at the Groceteria Safeway section serves as a useful rubric, but with the months of research I've done, there appears to be more than just two styles (notwithstanding gables).
Here are the ones I know of, differentiated by the roof design for the most part. Other details (entrance awning, side or front entrance, Safeway front letter plate) can be discussed later...
Wingless marina: A marina without the "wings", with only the arched section of the building. I actually only know of three or four units that used this: 7th Avenue in San Francisco (probably the longest to operate, and now the last to close), one in Winnipeg (unknown location, but I've posted the photo of it in the Canada Safeway thread), one in San Mateo that was gone by the early 1980s, and one in Santa Clara that Justin Karimzad told me about. The 7th Avenue marina actually predated the Marina Boulevard location by a few months (both were opened in 1959).
http://dtcwrt.earlracing.com/stores/1127/dcfc0059.jpg (7th Avenue)
Winged marina, level arch: The basic, most familiar design, as seen when the Marina Boulevard location opened up. Arch roofline levels off to the wing roofline, seamlessly. Numerous examples.
http://dtcwrt.earlracing.com/stores/1231/dcfc0011.jpg (Marina Boulevard)
Here's an odd variant in Helena, Montana.
http://flickr.com/photos/bonkrood/45457634/
Gull Wing marina: One of the first distinctive variants, the term comes from this page: http://www.dkbennett.com/safeway.html - not as common as the level arch marinas or the raised arch marinas of later, but very striking. Examples include the Ellice Avenue store in Winnipeg from that link, the current Tognotti's Auto World in Arden-Arcade (Sacramento), the marina in Wichita serving as a community center, and Red Bluff, California's library (which closed in 1982 as a supermarket and reopened a couple of years later in its current incarnation). Another is in Oakland, serving as a Walgreens.
http://dtcwrt.earlracing.com/stores2/102/dcfc0089.jpg (Arden-Arcade)
http://www.agilitynut.com/06/4/gsafeway.jpg (Wichita)
Here's a really futuristic looking take on gull wing, in Lethbridge, Alberta from 1960 (since replaced):
http://tinyurl.com/yav3gj
Winged marina, high arch: Generally, from about 1964 on, this design became the most common variant, where a marina arch with two flat stubs stands alone a few feet above a flat wing roof. The recently Lifestyle-remodeled Safeway at Mission and 30th in San Francisco is probably one of the best examples of this, as is the endangered unit in Albany. A Vons in Carpinteria is another nicely preserved example, and the marina Vons in Long Beach has this as well (with a slightly thicker arch).
http://dtcwrt.earlracing.com/stores/1223/dcfc0003.jpg (Albany)
I don't know how to classify one former Safeway in San Jose though, now Marina Food (Monterey and Senter at the 7 Trees Shopping Center), which does not have flat stubs off of the arch, but otherwise seems to fit the prototype.
http://dtcwrt.earlracing.com/stores/1229/dcfc0120.jpg
Conversion: Very rare, some stores were converted from pylon to marina style. Two only received a marina falsefront - one in Eugene, Oregon at 849 West Sixth, and one in Miles City, Montana now serving as a Pepsi plant. One which received a full blown conversion, of course, is the still-operating flagship store at 2020 Market Street in San Francisco.
http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/6784/dcfc0040em3.jpg (Market Street)
http://flickr.com/photos/dave_mcmt/280849254/ (Miles City)
"San Diego" implanted arch: Seen only in Southern California, and primarily in San Diego, I do know a different architectural firm from the SD area did architectural work for Safeway in the 60s, and this was probably their handiwork. One Vons at 1342 North Alvarado in Los Angeles has this look. Another is the location at Fern and Grape in San Diego, now Galafood (may be demolished though as it was being slated for redevelopment in 2005).
http://static.flickr.com/9/69504284_b4d854b53a.jpg (North Alvarado)
Reverse Marina: a very rare design where instead of a half-dome arch, the arch was cut in half and then turned in on itself, creating a V shaped roof. I only know of two examples, both in Alberta: 4th Street in Calgary (since replaced) and the Banff Safeway (still open). I think though DCGrocery has a photo of a false-fronted example though.
http://flickr.com/photos/46103073@N00/265000155/ (Banff)
http://tinyurl.com/ylcph4 and http://tinyurl.com/yjxbpo (Calgary)
Double Marina: I've never seen this style outside of here:
http://flickr.com/photos/43638298@N00/211171381/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/54177448@N00/238043446/
New Marina: After emailing the architect responsible for this Safeway, I got confirmation from him that it was directly inspired by the original Marina. Constructed in 2004, it can be found in suburban Salinas on Constitution Boulevard (a few miles east of 101).
http://www.johnsonlyman.com/Projects/Retail/Salinas/
Any others I haven't thought of?