Thanks for your patience during our recent outage at scalar.usc.edu. While Scalar content is loading normally now, saving is still slow, and Scalar's 'additional metadata' features have been disabled, which may interfere with features like timelines and maps that depend on metadata. This also means that saving a page or media item will remove its additional metadata. If this occurs, you can use the 'All versions' link at the bottom of the page to restore the earlier version. We are continuing to troubleshoot, and will provide further updates as needed. Note that this only affects Scalar projects at scalar.usc.edu, and not those hosted elsewhere.
Lounging in the 60sMain MenuIntroductionHow to use our websiteObjectsMission 66 OverviewRevitalizing the ParksTaliesin Associated ArchitectsBeaver Meadows Visitor CenterConclusion
Standing almost two feet high, this brass floor ashtray would have been placed alongside chairs and benches throughout Beaver Meadows, allowing seated visitors to enjoy a cigarette or two. Taliesin's inclusion of ashtrays in various heights and designs directly contributed to visitor enjoyment and comfort at Beaver Meadows. In the present, interior designers wouldn't give a second thought to portable ashtrays when designing a building. However, in the 1960s, ashtray considerations were a top priority. A total of ten of these cigarette stands were ordered for Beaver Meadows Visitor Center. In 1966, they were purchased for twenty dollars.
Ashtrays are artifacts of mid-century smoking culture commonly found in 1960s homes, offices, public buildings, and even airplanes and hospitals. These utilitarian items assumed a remarkable suite of forms and materials, from ornate glass-blown sculptures to more vernacular containers (such as a coffee can) and everything in between. Because the public had yet to adopt or become aware of public health warnings regarding the dangers of smoking, accommodations for smokers were expected in the 1960s. Ashtrays and their changing forms can be interpreted as representative of those accommodations, as they have become increasingly obscured from sight over time.
12017-11-19T15:32:33-08:00Joseph Sarr42c75818df9bcc46392bf104d301a3c7d8892e50Utilitarian AestheticJoseph Sarr4Tags for all pages in the "object aesthetic" subcategory: "utilitarian aesthetic"plain2017-12-03T17:00:05-08:00Joseph Sarr42c75818df9bcc46392bf104d301a3c7d8892e50
12017-11-19T10:47:45-08:00Joseph Sarr42c75818df9bcc46392bf104d301a3c7d8892e50Brass (Materials)Joseph Sarr4Tags for all pages in the "metal" subcategory: "brass"plain2017-11-19T11:27:05-08:00Joseph Sarr42c75818df9bcc46392bf104d301a3c7d8892e50
12017-11-24T22:14:47-08:00Joseph Sarr42c75818df9bcc46392bf104d301a3c7d8892e50NPS Labels (Conditions)Joseph Sarr4Tags for all pages in the "stickers" subcategory "nps labels"plain2017-12-03T16:11:31-08:00Joseph Sarr42c75818df9bcc46392bf104d301a3c7d8892e50
12017-11-19T15:36:28-08:00Joseph Sarr42c75818df9bcc46392bf104d301a3c7d8892e50Ornamental AestheticJoseph Sarr3Tags for all pages in the "object aesthetic" subcategory: "ornamental aesthetic"plain2017-12-03T17:12:55-08:00Joseph Sarr42c75818df9bcc46392bf104d301a3c7d8892e50
12017-11-19T13:31:49-08:00Joseph Sarr42c75818df9bcc46392bf104d301a3c7d8892e50Mission 66 (Time Period)Joseph Sarr3Tags for all pages in the "time period" subcategory "mission 66"plain2017-11-19T14:17:21-08:00Joseph Sarr42c75818df9bcc46392bf104d301a3c7d8892e50
12017-11-24T21:51:56-08:00Joseph Sarr42c75818df9bcc46392bf104d301a3c7d8892e50Rust (Condition)Joseph Sarr2Tags for all pages in the "environmental damage" subcategory "rust"plain2017-12-03T16:22:10-08:00Joseph Sarr42c75818df9bcc46392bf104d301a3c7d8892e50
12017-11-19T15:27:00-08:00Joseph Sarr42c75818df9bcc46392bf104d301a3c7d8892e50Waste RemovalJoseph Sarr2Tags for all pages in the "object function" subcategory: "waste removal"plain2017-12-03T18:38:55-08:00Joseph Sarr42c75818df9bcc46392bf104d301a3c7d8892e50
12017-12-03T18:27:00-08:00Joseph Sarr42c75818df9bcc46392bf104d301a3c7d8892e50Taliesin (Context)Joseph Sarr1Tags for all pages in the "general context" subcategory "taliesin"plain2017-12-03T18:27:00-08:00Joseph Sarr42c75818df9bcc46392bf104d301a3c7d8892e50
12017-12-06T23:48:56-08:00Joseph Sarr42c75818df9bcc46392bf104d301a3c7d8892e50Smoking CultureJoseph Sarr1Tags for all pages in the "smoking culture" categoryplain2017-12-06T23:48:56-08:00Joseph Sarr42c75818df9bcc46392bf104d301a3c7d8892e50
This page references:
12017-10-10T21:50:14-07:00Brass Floor Ashtray (1)4Metal. Photo courtesy of Dustin Clark and Natalie Walker.plain2017-12-02T22:59:58-08:00
12017-12-03T11:56:02-08:001960s Smoking Culture (3)2Kent Cigarettes Published in Ebony, September 1965 (Vol. 20, No. 11). Photo courtesy of Creative Commons.plain2017-12-17T19:25:46-08:00
