The intersection of Race Street, The Alameda, and Martin Avenue serves as a historical and cultural hub captured in a 1956 photograph by Arnold Del Carlo. This image, taken from Tiny's Drive-in, shows vibrant scenes including mini-jukeboxes and roller-skating waitresses that resonated with its time. The location has transformed significantly over the decades, with structures evolving from restaurants to different establishments. In 2025, the photo will be housed in the Sourisseau Academy, marking its significance in preserving local history and community memories.
In 1956, nearly 60 years ago, the celebrated photographer Arnold Del Carlo snapped this intersection from inside Tiny's Drive-in. Del Carlo could not predict the future. He wasn't clairvoyant, but his photography came close.
Little did he know that his body of work would later sit in the Sourisseau Academy for State and Local History at SJSU, where vivid imagery of mini-jukeboxes on every single table at Tiny’s Drive-in would shatter spacetime in 2025.
Tiny's featured waitresses on roller skates who would serve people at their cars outside. Inside, customers could flip through mini-jukeboxes and select tunes from their tables.
The best aspect of Del Carlo's photo-aside from the tabletop jukeboxes-is that we can see through the glass and across the street to the corner of Race and Martin, when a few buildings actually occupied what's now the parking lot next to the Flamingo Motel.
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