Groceteria.com

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?

That Safeway in Salinas, California should be the new prototype for all Safeways.

I really wish I knew more about that Salinas one (I may hit it up in the next couple of weeks), that particular prototype is one-of-a-kind so far. It might have been something decided in-house at the architectural firm.

For comparison, out here, I know of two recent Safeways (also from 2004 or so) that have the same exact red-brick design, one in midtown Sacramento at 19th and R and another in Fair Oaks at Dewey and Madison.

It seems like the marina era generally involved one architect over a greater regional scope.

The Safeway in Banff looks pretty nice too. When did that store open?

Barcelos wrote:The Safeway in Banff looks pretty nice too. When did that store open?

There's a photo of it in the Groceteria 1960s Safeway section, so I think 1960 or so (the now-replaced Calgary one opened around that year).

I do wonder who came up with the reverse marina prototype. I have a feeling the one in Banff has not been replaced due to the touristy character of the town (with the roofline of this building in particular fitting in well with Banff's mountain resort vibe). I've only been in that town once (in 1993) and didn't check it out then though.

The very first couple shots of the double Marina - there's a sign that made me laugh...because Daniel has a shot of a very similar sign. Being a fellow Safeway freak, I got a kick out of it.

Once again, this is Daniel's find:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j264/ ... WAY_AD.jpg

Looking at that photo...I honestly think that IS our Utah double marina. In fact, it is: Roadsidepictures put it on his Flickr four days ago.

I do wonder what vintage that is from...and why this store got the "doubling" in the first place. Looks to be a one-of-a-kind variant.

TheStranger wrote:Looking at that photo...I honestly think that IS our Utah double marina. In fact, it is: Roadsidepictures put it on his Flickr four days ago.

I do wonder what vintage that is from...and why this store got the "doubling" in the first place. Looks to be a one-of-a-kind variant.

whats the link?

Jeff wrote:whats the link?

NewsLynne just posted it:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j264/ ... WAY_AD.jpg

Roadsidepictures did as well on his Flickr:

http://flickr.com/photos/43638298@N00/211171381/

The Alberta gullwing store is really something. It looks so desolate, like an abandoned airport.

I need to get a picture of the Woodstock, VA store. It has one hump and a smaller hump on the side. I don't know if it's original or what. It's a Ben Franklin now, still with the Marina fittings. Good excuse for a road trip!

NewsLynne wrote:The Alberta gullwing store is really something. It looks so desolate, like an abandoned airport.

The Lethbridge one? I think it was built in a previously undeveloped lot, explaining the vastness captured in the photos; also, some of those photos come across as pre-grand opening as well.

NewsLynne wrote:
I need to get a picture of the Woodstock, VA store. It has one hump and a smaller hump on the side. I don't know if it's original or what. It's a Ben Franklin now, still with the Marina fittings. Good excuse for a road trip!

Smaller arches...half of me wants to guess it was a Safeway/Super S combo if one of the arches served as entrance to a seperate portion of the building, but that's just me guessing (I'm thinking of the examples we know of in Denver and in Mesa, Arizona that have the marina arched main building, and a wavy-awning drugstore space).

I figured it was pre-grand opening. In any event, the photo looks bleak.

I don't think the Woodstock Safeway had a Super S. It's a very small town and those were a rarity (at least to me) out here, where the land was ruled by DrugFair and Dart and independant operators all those years ago.

Apparently there's another Marina that looks to be an older store (1950s) converted with the glass front:

http://flickr.com/photos/mojavegirl1216/3240280506/

There was a wingless marina in Little Rock. It was part of the Broadmoor shopping center. If you use virtual earth and type in Lakeshore drive and South University you can see it. The store closed back in the 70's when Safeway opened up a larger 24 hr store on Asher Avenue. The marina has seen several tenents and remodeling over the years but you can still see the arched roof and the arches going into the ground.

Were there any Safeways throughout Portland, OR and suburbs that had Marina variations as rare as those you've discovered?

I know the Milwaukie location (10554 SE Main St., which closed in 1997), when it re-opened in the spring of 1967 (it was previously a pylon store when it first opened in May 1951), seemed to have a gullwing roof. Heck, even the Burlingame (OR) and 82nd & Burnside locations (among others) had the gullwing roof variation.

~Ben