No, they’re not actually cooking yet at Johnie’s Broiler–AKA Harvey’s Broiler, the authentic 1950s Downey drive-in that was illegally demolished a year and a half ago.

But as Samantha Gonzaga writes in this morning’s Press-Telegram, crews are finally out there sifting through the rubble, saving what’s left to be saved, and getting it ready to become a Bob’s Big Boy.

And you know what? The property owner, Christos Smyrniotis couldn’t be happier.

“You have no idea how happy I am,” Smyrniotis told Gonzaga. “I cannot describe it to you. The last 18 months (have been) filled with so much pressure from everyone without knowing what happens next.”

Really? Smyrniotis said that? Isn’t he the same Smyrniotis who leased this Googie-style landmark to a car dealership, let its interior be gutted–and reportedly even knew about the demolition?

Yep. Writes Gonzaga:

“Johnie’s has had a tough ride after its razing, ordered by Smyrniotis’ lessee at the time, Ardas Yanik, who had subleased the property to a used car dealership. Yanik has publicly apologized for the act, but has said in a past interview that Smyrniotis had known of his intention to demolish.”

How about that? (In previous interviews with The District Weekly, Smyrniotis has said he was clueless of its demise, and shocked to learn of its destruction.)

The demolition in January 2007 left Bob’s franchise-holder Jim Louder, owner of a Big Boy in Torrance without much to go on–chiefly the Broiler’s own “fat boy” neon sign, and a portion of the restaurant’s southern exposure.

That’s not stopping him, though; Louder told the P-T he plans to have a Downey Bob’s Big Boy–built with echoes of the exuberant 1950s drive-in style, and portions of the original structure–up and serving shakes by the first half of 2009.

It sounds like a tall order, but now the estimated $3 million project is underway, finishing it in a year’s time is at least a distinct possibility.

“I think that at this point, it takes my breath away,” Analissa Ridenour-Hungerford, of the preservation group Friends of Johnie’s Broiler, told Gonzaga. “I’m happy to see it move forward, but also (feel) a sense of nostalgia of what this place used to be.”

Maybe by this time next year, they’ll be cruising Harvey’s Broiler again.

Tags: Analissa Ridenour-Hungerford, Ardas Yanik, Bob's Big Boy, California, Christos Smyrniotis, downey, Friends of Johnie's Broiler, Googie-style, Harvey's Broiler, Jim Louder, Johnie's Broiler, Long Beach, press telegram, Samantha Gonzaga, Southern California, The District Weekly, Theo Douglas, Torrance