The former Van de Kamp's building in Arcadia is one of only two remaining examples of the company's windmill building design. The other example is in Houck, AZ. The building was designed by Harold Bissner, Jr. The folded-plate roof served as a base for a giant windmill. The poured-in-place concrete buildings appear to be circular but actually have 16 sides. The windmills used to rotate both vertically and horizontally. There were plans to build 40 of these buildings by 1970 but I believe only 15 were built. There was one in Marina Del Rey, CA and another in Monterey Park, CA.

The Arcadia restaurant was built in 1967. When Denny's took over the Arcadia building in 1989, the windmill was nearly demolished but saved through public outcry. The roof was painted red around 2013 just before the photo on the right above was taken. In 2016, the windmill was restored and the blades were turning again. In 2017, the blades fell off onto the roof. In 2018, after replacing the motor and reinforcing the windmill, the blades were returned. They are now turning again, 24 hours a day. They are now outlined with LED bulbs that can change colors for various holidays. [map]

The Norwalk location housed a Norms restaurant in later years. It closed around 2008. The building remained vacant until it was demolished in 2014. There was a location in Buena Park which opened in 1967. It is also gone now.

For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8.