La Fonda Del Sol opened in the Time-Life Building in

Manhattan in 1961. The entire restaurant including the furnishings, dishware, everything down to the table linens was designed by Alexander Girard. The design of the restaurant excited the public and firmly secured Girard's place as a great designer of the time. By 1971 the restaurant closed and besides memories, few artifacts remain. This site is devoted to showcasing the design of Alexander Girard's La Fonda Del Sol.

Most of the items on this site are from my personal collection (unless credited otherwise) of La Fonda Del Sol dishware and a few other items but anyone with photos of the restaurant, items from the restaurant, or any interesting bits of information is more than welcome to contribute, just email me at patti@lafondadelsol.net.

The vintage items in the photo gallery are NOT FOR SALE (please don't ask), though I am interested in buying items or trading for items that I don't have. Take a tour of the photo gallery and let me know what you think.

Also a great big thanks to Peter and Shannon at Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) for allowing me to use a fantastic picture of the uncut matchbook covers in the photo gallery. Also, the photo at the top of the site of the dishware is from one of their auctions as well. Check out their modernist auctions at www.lamodern.com.

I also want to thank the nice folks over at Wright Auction Gallery for also loaning me a few photos for the site! They gave up a shot of the table linen as well as a shot of rarities. Check out their modernist auctions at www.wright20.com.

Thanks and enjoy your meal!

Patti Hauseman