This is bound to be a multi-part post since we lose so many signs every year.

From the Bear Manufacturing signs section, this one in Belle Fourche, SD is gone now:

This store closed in 2023 and this sign in Durham, NC is gone now:

Vinyl Giant Records in Fargo, ND closed last year and this sign which was displayed in the window is gone now:

The original Taco Shop location in Fargo, ND closed and this sign is gone:

Major bummer! The Home of Economy chain in North Dakota was sold to the Runnings chain in 2024 and all of the vintage signs were removed as the stores were rebranded. I don’t know if any survived. In Williston, ND, this pole sign is gone…

… as is this sign which was originally on the roof:

A similar sign was displayed inside the Minot, ND location:

The Grafton, ND location also lost its pole sign for a plastic Runnings box sign:

The Grand Forks, ND sign is still there at Google Street View but I’m sure that’s just that that site hasn’t caught up yet. The Devils Lake, ND location also lost its pole sign and this unique rooftop sign was adapted:

Reno’s Sports Bar in Hillsboro, ND closed in 2018 and this sign is gone now:

This sign in Cave City, AR was destroyed last year during a tornado:

This sign in Pine Bluff, AR is gone now:

This sign in Imperial NE is gone now (and apparently some birds lost their home):

This Western Auto projecting sign in Anniston, AL is gone now. The panel sign remains:

From the Norge Village Cleaners section, this “Norge Ball” in Los Angeles, CA is gone now:

From the Rexall Drug section, this long painted-over sign in Goleta, CA is gone now:

This business (and sign) in Sisseton, SD is gone now:

This sign in Howard, SD is gone now:

This sign in Yankton, SD…:

… was updated around 2012 to look like the photo below…. and now the sign is gone — replaced with another sign for a different business:

This post is getting long so let’s take a break. 29 more states to go in the Signs section so I’ll be back soon with more “news.”

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

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It’s been a rough year for gas stations. Normally, there are a just few demolitions and some unfortunate remodelings. But this year, so many former stations have been torn down all over the country.

This very rare double-gable Conoco station in Shelby, MT…:

… is now being remodeled with an addition to the front of the gable on the left — ugh:

This former Sinclair station (yes, Phillips 66 design but branding was Sinclair in several states) in White Sulphur Springs, MT has been demolished:

This station in New Orleans, LA has been demolished:

This former Pan-Am station in LaPlace, LA has been demolished:

This former Standard Oil “Red Crown” station in Sioux Falls, SD has been demolished:

This former Rotary station in Buchanan, NY has been demolished:

This former Phillips 66 station in Denver, CO is being adapted for a restaurant and retail space:

The only illustration of what is planned is this tiny thing which is impossible to read. But I guess the Phillips letters will be removed and the bays lost as windows, and with some connecting thing between the bays and the former office building. It looks like a really minimal effort at preservation:

This station in Shamokin, PA has been demolished:

This former station in Mediapolis, IA has been demolished:

This station in Conneaut, OH is gone now. I can’t find any articles online but I suspect there was a massive fire since the big Victorian house to the left and several houses behind this station have all been demolished as well:

Here’s a John Margolies photo from 1977:

and one of my photos from 2010:

This station in Grand Rapids, MI has been demolished:

The rooftop former neon sign in Dallas, TX has been removed. The porcelain panels were painted over years ago:

These former Mobil station canopies in Tampa, FL are gone now:

The canopy was removed and the building remodeled at this former Phillips 66 station in Breckenridge Hills, MO:

This former Gulf station in New Albany, IN is gone now:

Let’s end this section with some good news. This prefabricated gas station by Butler Manufacturing in Gordon, WI was saved from demolition and moved downtown as an ice cream shop. Google Street View doesn’t show it there yet but here’s a photo from the Gordon Station’s Facebook page:

In the next post, I’ll be moving on to the section that a lot of you have been waiting for: Signs.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

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The Foster’s Freeze in Brawley, CA….

… has been updated with plastic signs. Soooo sad. I hope someone saved that porcelain enamel sign and the script letters. Those are incredibly rare now:

The former Arby’s in Pomona, CA has been demolished:

This former Dog House in Los Angeles, CA has been demolished for parking. I believe this was the last of the Los Angeles locations:

It looked like this originally – a John Margolies photo of one of the Los Angeles locations in 1976:

The “Classic” double drive-thru McDonald’s building in Upland, CA…:

… has been replaced with this giant thing:

The McDonald’s single-arch shield sign in Pine Bluff, AR is gone now. I called the store and they said that McDonald’s corporate took the sign. There’s not a thing on-line about this. Very strange. I believe there only five left of these now:

This former Horne’s restaurant in Lake City, FL has been demolished:

The former Pyramid Supper Club in Juneau, WI has been demolished:

This ice cream stand and mini golf (later Temptations) in Allegan, MI has been bulldozed:

This drive-in in Dowagiac, MI became Arnie’s Drive-in last year and this neon sign is gone:

The Hen House in Mitchell, IL has been demolished:

This former Howard Johnson’s Motor Lodge gatehouse in Anaheim, CA was demolished last year:

The former Tastee-Freez in Moorhead, MN is now housing Buddy’s Parfait:

This former Heap Big Beef in Bloomington, IL has been demolished:

This former Heap Big Beef in Kenner, LA is also gone:

That’s it for the “Eateries.” In the next post, I’ll be moving on to the Gas Stations section. It’s another biggie with over 300 pages — followed by the remaining two and biggest sections in later posts (Signs and Mid-Century Buildings).

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

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Usually, there are at least several “surprise” Theatre demolitions during this portion of the annual marathon project. But this year, I only have one. The former Rose Theatre in Glendive, MT and the much larger building to the right was demolished after a fire:

Lots of theatres closed/reopened for renovations, etc. in the 160 pages that I went through. But not dramatic changes to the exterior of the buildings. I’ll just include a couple examples of some news in this post.

This theatre in Shawnee, OK changed their readerboards to graphic displays and the neon to crappy LED rope. This is actually happening all over the country with theatres right now. I bet in 10 years, all the readerboards will be gone. I don’t know of any city sign codes that prohibit graphic displays — but plenty still outlaw new neon signs! Anyhow, one of my photos of the Ritz in 2020. Sure, those plastic letters are not original but they have a certain 1960s charm:

And from StreetView now — at least they didn’t touch the neon on the blade sign (yet!):

Have a look at this closeup of that crappy rubber rope. You can’t make straight lines, crisp corners, or even nice curves with that junk. And then it starts falling off in a year or two:

For comparison, here was the neon:

The restoration of the Hardy’s Theatre in Fresno, CA is coming along which is a good thing. But….

… if you look closely, the the missing neon was replaced with, you guessed it, crappy, sloppy LED tubing. How can it look so bad already? Just wait a couple of years and half of it will have fallen out of the channels:

Moving on to the Art Deco section – more than 200 pages and just a few things to report here. This former restaurant building in Orange, MA is gone now:

The Riverfront Parking Garage in Memphis, TN was mistakenly in the Art Deco section but I think it’s really from the 1950s or 1960s. It has been demolished for a new art museum that’s being built. I doubt any of the concrete block or eagle sculptures were saved:

This building in Long Beach, CA is gone now – demolished for more parking:

Moving on to the Eateries (restaurants) section. This little, porcelain enamel false front in Miami, AZ is gone now. I have no idea where it came from or where it went:

The Tasty Dip in Heflin, AL has closed…:

… and the sign is laying flat on the roof:

Claud’s Hamburgers in Tulsa, OK closed in 2022…

It is now housing Inheritance Kitchen + Juicery:

This drive-in in Charlotte, NC has closed and the property has been sold:

Lapp’s Olympia Dairy Bar in Carneys Point, NJ which closed in 2021 has been demolished:

This former Ku-Ku restaurant in Bryan, TX was demolished for a boring boxy building:

This former Planters Peanut shop from 1939 in Binghamton, NY has closed:

I don’t know if this tile apron will be preserved:

This former Taco Bell in Tulsa, OK had been vacant for a few years but it’s now housing Catrina Fresh Mex:

This long-closed Weber’s Root Beer in Brooklawn, NJ has been bulldozed. I hope someone saved the sputnik sign and the spinning ball sign:

This sign at the Weber’s Root Beer in Pennsauken, NJ was knocked over by high winds last year. I don’t know if it will be replaced or if the spinning discs were destroyed:

This post is running pretty long. So, let’s pick up with more Eateries next time. I still have hundreds of pages to go through.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

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There are just a few more noteworthy mentions from the Giants section. The Golden Buddha in Amboy, CA is gone now:

The Pirate and the Mermaid in Oceanside, CA are gone now. I believe they were installed in 1969 next to the Flying Bridge Restaurant. In 2025, the mermaid was destroyed. The pirate was rescued, restored, and sold. He may be installed later at Oceanside High School:

The International Fiberglass Indian in Carrington, ND was removed in October for restoration:

Moving on to the Animals statues section. From the Lobsters & Shrimp page, this statue in Nanticoke, PA is gone now:

From the Octopus page…. this statue in Bokeelia, FL is gone now:

Some good news for the Other Reptiles page — Iggy the Iguana was returned to top of the building last year at the Fort Worth Zoo in Fort Worth, TX after restoration:

From the Sharks pages… this statue in Elizabeth, IL is gone now:

From the Water Animals pages… Salty the Seahorse in Mattapoisett, MA has a fresh paintjob:

From the Whales pages.. the statue that was installed on top of Worrell’s Seafood (closed 2011) in Wilson, NC has apparently been fully restored and looks ready for reinstallation. They are probably waiting for spring when the new Worrell’s Seafood Market & Restaurant opens. My photo from 2009:

Photo below from the artist’s FB page — with lots of other photos of the transformation: https://www.facebook.com/ashleykfabrizio/photos

From the Bears pages, this guy in El Paso, TX is gone:

From the Fish section… this giant bass in Clarks Grove, MN is gone now:

Something might be happening with this weathered catfish in Slidell, LA. It came from a downtown catfish restaurant originally. You can still read “Kelly’s” in white paint above the red spray paint. One of my photos from 2019:

The latest StreetView — 2022 — knocked over with the pole on the far side and broken tail:

A year later – the statue’s back up and from different angles, I don’t see the missing tail:

Last year, the statue is turned in the other direction with broken tail side facing us. So, could it be that the business might be building a sign and has plans to re-erect the fish? There’s no sign, other than a “wood for sale” on the corner or I’d be calling immediately to find out what the deal is. I’m hoping for a miracle here and I’ll be holding my breath for next year’s Street View:

The muskie statue in Deer River, MN…:

… has been replaced with a new one:

From the Bulls section… This bull and little piggie in Stewardson, IL are gone now:

The Bull that was in Sacramento, CA at Ruland’s Used Office Furniture…:

… was moved to Fog Willow Farms in Wilton, CA when the store moved in 2021. I finally found a photo of him there at the farms’ website and he looks great!

This bull in Milton, FL is gone now:

From the Birds pages — this turkey in Pipe, WI is gone now:

This eagle in New Albany, IN is gone now:

These statues in Crawfordville, FL are gone now:

This statue in Carlsbad, CA is gone now:

This chicken in El Reno, OK is gone now:

This rooster in Hubbardston, MA is gone now:

This rooster in Painter, VA is also gone:

And that does it for all the statues at my website. It’ll be buildings and signs for the duration of this winter project. For the next post, I’ll be moving on to the Theatres section.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

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From the Giants statues section (actually, the section covers all sizes of statues of people) — Tony’s Pizza in Ocean City, MD closed and this statue was removed. I don’t know where it went:

The Pizza Chef in Stockton, IL is also gone:

Sandy’s Purple Palace in York Beach, ME closed in 2024 and this Chinese Chef on the roof is gone now:

The Fisk Tire Boy statues at Warholak Tire in Detroit, MI are gone now. The business was sold at the end of 2023. That leaves only two of these statues on public view now (Scottsdale, AZ and Bakersfield, CA). The one on the roof is now in the new owner’s backyard:

The statue that was in the office was taken by the previous owner:

Here’s a bit of good news — the bank robber and dog sculpture on the Valley Bank in Kalispell, MT has been moved closer to the front of the building and a sheriff statue added on the left:

This Atlas statue in Albany, OR is gone now. These statues originally held globes and were built for Jack LaLanne Fitness Centers in the U.S. and Canada. I believe there are less than a dozen left now:

The soldier statue at the now-closed Callahan’s Tavern in Upper Darby, PA is gone now:

This Abraham Lincoln head sculpture in Lead, SD that pointed the way to the long-closed Presidents Park is gone now:

This Pep Boys statue in Philadelphia, PA was displayed in front of the company’s headquarters and it’s gone now. The company moved to Bala Cynwyd, PA around 2023 and I assume they brought the statue with them:

This Pep Boys statue at the company’ store in Stratford, NJ is also gone now:

The Max Motors statue in Harrisonville, MO is gone now. Last year, the dealership was sold to Reed Ford and the statue was removed. His left arm was ripped off in a storm in 2023. The identical statues at the Max Motors in Nevada, MO (both arms missing) and Butler, MO (both arms intact) are still there:

This law firm billboard statue in Pensacola, FL is gone now:

The Railsplitter Covered Wagon with Abraham Lincoln in Lincoln, IL…

… must have been damaged with winds last year or they were just repairing the wagon’s tarp. I assume that it will be fixed if it hasn’t been already:

Some good news — the restoration of Rocket Bob in Grand Island, NE…:

is done – from this FB post:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/218676792817854/posts/1230586238293566/

The Pocahontas statue in Pocahontas, IA was repainted in 2024 and is looking great!

Some more good news — the 28-foot-tall Mermaid from 1967 in Mounds View, MN was removed in 2018 and put in storage. It was originally on the roof – my photo 2011:

“Storage” is usually the kiss of death but the City bought her for a dollar, restored her, and had her installed last year at her original location. She’s now on a pole by the entrance. Photos below from the Mermaid Entertainment & Event Center’s FB page:

A big turnout for her return – a great shot of the back from the roof which I don’t think you can see otherwise:

Let’s wrap-up this blog post with that happy news and since this is getting pretty long. I’ll be back soon with more statues.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

This former Lincoln-Mercury dealership in Durham, NC…:

… has been restored as The Lincoln on Geer wedding and event venue.

This dealership building in San Jose, CA is gone now and…:

… this boring monster was built behind it. When they were done, they demolished the older building:

From the Mini Golf section. The Pro Putt Mini Golf in Havre, MT has closed – from latest Google Street View:

The Putt Putt in Warren, OH is gone now. It was demolished last year and a Ford dealership parking lot is there now. Here’s a photo I took before that happened:

Hago Harrington’s Mini Golf in Stoneham, MA is gone now, too. It was built in 1948 and had lots of charming handmade obstacles like the ones below. It closed in 2023 and was paved over for truck parking by last year:

The Polynesian Putter in St. Pete Beach, FL was hit hard by Hurricane Ian in 2024. They will not be reopening. Many of the statues were still there in this 2025 StreetView. Maybe by some miracle, this lot will be turned into a park or the concrete statues saved.:

Sunset Park Mini Golf in South Park Township, PA was a wonderful old time course with obstacles like those below. It closed last year and was swiftly bulldozed:

Moving on to the Diners section… The Streamliner Diner in Savannah, GA – my photo from 2021… :

… was being repainted in the 2025 StreetView below. I know there was a big fire last February and that the former tenant (Strange Bird) has been having food truck popups and plans to reopen here. Maybe this bright green is a primer or maybe this will be the final color with different lettering. Stay tuned…:

This Valentine diner in Amarillo, TX was loaded onto a trailer and taken away. No one knows where it went or what the plans are:

You may have heard… this sign is currently up for sale at Facebook Marketplace. After the diner in Philadelphia, PA was demolished in 2023, the developer said there would be another restaurant next to the multi-story apartment building. However, they changed their mind and are now selling the sign:

Oh dear. The Trolley Pizzaria in Lowell, MA (not a “true” diner which were prefabricated and shipped as a unit to the site but built on-site to look like a trolley car)…:

… is looking very rough at StreetView last year — boarded up and sagging:

Sure enough — I found a news article — and it was demolished a few mos. ago:

I’ll be moving on in the next blog post with “discoveries” from the Giants (giant statues of people) section. There are 8 sections to go with hundreds of pages in each – the last 4 sections with over 300 pages each. So, many more blog posts (and heartaches to come).

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

From the Giant Skates page — the Aloha Roller Palace in Mesquite, TX has closed and this skate car are gone:

From the Giant Globes pages — this one in Springfield, MO appeared to be gone…:

… But to my relief, I found some articles about it being moved in 2024 to the new BBFI (Baptist Bible Fellowship International) location and a little video of the moving process: https://www.ozarksfirst.com/top-stories/mission-university-globe-moves-to-new-office-location/

This globe in Neillsville, WI is gone now:

From the Giant Vehicles pages… this flying saucer in Haslett, MI is gone now:

From the Windmill pages, this water vending machine building in Plant City, FL is gone now:

Shoot those little cuties while you can: Watermill Express is rapidly replacing all of these windmill structures with larger, boring box versions like this one:

The windmill at Jerry’s Nursery & Garden Center in Farr West, UT was looking very sad and neglected when I took this photo in 2022. And that sprinkler wasn’t helping the little wooden structure with missing paint:

The StreetView map from a year later showed that someone had taken the time to paint it — although the blades were still pretty askew:

But, alas, the interstate view from August shows that Jerry’s is closed after a major fire — and the windmill, now missing its blades, is likely doomed. Unless there’s a major miracle and Jerry’s rebuilds and restores the little mascot:

In better news, the windmill in Salt Lake City, UT was looking pretty ratty back in 2005:

In 2021, they repainted the building and started working on a new window. The new StreetView is up and it looks great!

From the Castles pages, this former Children’s Castle building in Kenner, LA…:

… has been stripped of its turrets & other castle features:

From the Misc. Giant Things section– this shovel in Creedmoor, TX is gone now:

This saw in Gainesville, FL is gone now:

I believe these hair scissors in Crescent City, CA are gone now:

I’ll be moving on to the Car Showrooms section in the next post.

If you’re curious, I’m almost 25% of the way thru this project. So, there will be many more posts over the next few months.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

Here’s the wrap-up of the SCA Signs section with the remaining two subsections. First, the Scaffold Signs pages.

I just shot this sign in Quincy, IL in June — ain’t it lovely?

but Google StreetView shows this:

Wuh-oh. Yup – an online article shares that the sign is “getting a facelift… They will be replacing the sign’s neon bulbs with LED bulbs, fixing the clock and painting the sign. Just refreshing the look. So, to stay only in spec, just the way it was designed. We’re just going to freshen it up, get the clock working and not malfunctioning. It should have some pop to it with the LEDs, but it will look exactly like it did, hopefully this all goes well or goes to plan exactly like it did when it was made, maybe even a little brighter if anything,”

I can’t help but be skeptical. I fear the next time we see it, there will be backlit plastic letters. Let’s all hold our collective breaths and pray…

******************

Google StreetView still shows the letters missing from the Androy Hotel sign in Hibbing, MN. But they were reinstalled and relit a few months ago. I can’t find anywhere whether they used neon or LED. Most scaffold signs are restored with LED these days. This photo from the Mesabi Tribune:

This sign in Memphis, TN is gone now:

Moving on to the Bowling Signs pages. The Leda Lanes in Nashua, NH closed earlier this year and the building was demolished for a shopping center development. So, this rooftop candlepin sign is gone now. I hope someone snagged it since candlepin signs are VERY rare:

The Echo Lanes Bowl in Warren, OH fell over a couple of years ago and I can find nothing about it being restored or replicated. I think we can assume it was either trashed or the top panel sold:

The nifty “BOWL” letters on the Shawnee Bowl sign in Shawnee, OK…:

… have been replaced with boring block letters and LED strip borders instead of neon. The new top panels have also been replaced (no more fun bowling pin characters) but at least the left the metal star on top:

This sign in Johnstown, PA from the long-closed Zip’s Classic Lanes is gone now:

The San Juan Lanes in Anacortes, WA was removed in 2022 after the bowling alley closed and was demolished. The sign was taken to a junkyard and then purchased by Dad’s Diner in town before it could be destroyed. They were “working with the city” to install the sign on the side of their building but I don’t think that happened:

This sign in Hillsboro, WI is probably gone now. The two poles are still there so maybe there’s some hope that it’s at the shop being restored:

This sign in Hamilton, ON is gone now:

This sign in Belvidere, IL is gone now. The building was demolished in July and will soon be replaced with a Starbucks and a Chipotle:

That’s a wrap for signs for a while. The “real” Signs section will be towards the very end of this project (about 400 pages of those to go thru). The next post(s) will cover the Giant Stuff and Car Showrooms sections.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

Getting back to the SCA (Society for Commercial Archaeology) article companion pages…. from the Sputnik Sign pages. This sign in San Bernardino, CA disappeared earlier this year:

The C-152 Lectra in Stamford, TX is gone now:

From the Opal Glass Letters Signs pages, this sign in Independence, CA is gone:

This sign which was tucked away in an alley in Susanville, CA is also gone:

From the Neon Extension Signs pages — this sign in South Gate, CA has plastic panels now and the arrow is gone:

Speaking of extension arrows… the latest Street View doesn’t show it yet, but the Last Chance Liquors sign in Nashville, TN was restored in August. It’s definitely on my map & list for this summer’s trip but here’s a short video showing the eight chasing arrows:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vTelQgsFvk

The Star Liquors sign in Garden Grove, CA…:

… got some atrocious backlit plastic letters but at least they left the bottles alone:

The Bon-Ton Cafe sign in Memphis, TN…:

… is now missing the bottom canopy panels with the circles:

From the Clock Signs pages… This Elgin Watch Company sign in Hibbing, MN is gone now. There are only a few of these once commonplace signs left:

This business in Bradley, IL closed in 2025 and this sign is gone now:

Another business opened in town and has a “tribute” sign:

Moving on to the Donut Signs pages… this former Mrs. Chapman’s Angel Food Do-Nuts in Long Beach, CA on Carson St….

… is now part of the Tierra Mia Coffee chain. The sign is still donut-ish but I wish the hole was still there:

This store in Lafayette, LA closed and I assume that the sign is gone. The store was housed in a former Mission-style Taco Bell but that building was demolished earlier this year as a Cuban restaurant is being built in its place:

This shop in Rochester, PA closed last year and the giant donut on top of the sign has been removed:

This shop in Wichita, KS closed las year and this sign is gone:

This sign in Oakland, CA disappeared earlier this year:

This former Jolly Pirate Donuts sign in Columbus, OH…:

… has been “updated” with backlit plastic letters and the neon removed from the top and bottom:

I knew this long-closed donut shop in St. Louis, MO began housing the Milque Toast restaurant in 2024. I reshot it that summer and just a few weeks later, they restored the donut sign’s neon — god bless ’em!

This shop in New Albany, IN closed earlier this year and the sign is gone now:

This Southern Maid Donuts in Odessa, TX…:

… has been repainted — I approve since I love bright green:

The M&T Donut Shop sign in Compton, CA is gone now:

Let’s end this post with some much-needed good news. This donut shop in Allston, MA closed earlier this year and it was announced that a Blank Street coffee shop would be moving into the space. With no landmark protection, etc., we held our breath that there would either be a new sign or some horrible adaptation. But no! The sign was completely restored by Neon Williams – thanks Dave & crew!!: https://www.instagram.com/p/DRGKHx3kR47/?img_index=1

I still have even more SCA pages to go through — the two biggest: Scaffold Signs and Bowling Signs. And then, I’ll be moving on to the Giant Stuff and Car Showrooms sections.

Happy 2026 — and Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

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