Let’s pick it up then with the “U” states.  I promise to end with a little happy news at the end.

Lots of losses in UTAH in the past year or so.  This one in Cedar City, UT is gone.  Replaced with another rectangular plastic box for the M Star Hotel.

 

This rusty-crusty in Duchesne, UT is gone now:

 

This one in Kanab, UT — gone now:

 

This one in Kanab, UT — gone now:

 

This one in Midvale, UT — gone:

 

This one in Ogden, UT — gone:

 

Another one in Ogden, UT that’s gone:

 

WASHINGTON.  This cutie in Renton, WA — gone:

 

This one in Tacoma, WA — gone:

 

This one in Seattle, WA — gone now:

 

The neon on this sign in Spokane, WA:

replaced with backlit plastic:

 

WISCONSIN.  This sign in Baraboo, WI:

looks like this now.

 

This sign in Beloit, WI is gone now:

 

This sign in Madison, WI is gone now:

 

This rooftop sign in Medford, WI was replaced with a backlit plastic box pole sign:

 

This place in Tomah, WI closed and was demolished.  These signs are gone:

 

WEST VIRGINIA.  This one in Beckley, WV is gone now:

 

This Masonic Lodge sign in Parkersburg, WV is gone now:

 

WYOMING.  This sign in Cheyenne, WY is gone:

 

This sign in Gillette, WY is a plastic box sign now:

 

This giant neon tomahawk in Riverton, WY is gone now.  It was at the Tomahawk Motor Lodge:

 

And now, as promised, some GOOD NEWS!

 

The Lew Rents sign in Olympia, WA:

recently got new paint and the neon appears to be intact (although it’s hard to see it at Google Street View):

 

The Turf Motel in Charles Town, WV:

recently became a Rodeway Inn but, shockingly, the neon is still there and looks lit — and they only messed with one panel:

 

The Holiday Lodge in Lander, WY:

did some remodeling and added log-like paneling — but spared the sign on the side of the building:

 

 

I’m writing about these next two signs for my next SCA Road Notes “Sign Snippets” column:
https://sca-roadside.org/sca-road-notes/

This sign in Yakima, WA is being completely restored — back to the original colors:

 

This sign in Springfield, IL is also being restored:

 

And the last bit of good news from Iron Mountain, MI.  This Norge Ball is in good hands.  Technically, this is a Norgetown sign — more about all that here at my two pages here:
http://www.roadarch.com/signs/norge.html

Of the thousand(s) of these Norge “globe signs” (what the company actually called them) that were built, this is the ONLY ONE that is currently lit and spinning.  When I saw at Google Maps that it was no longer a laundromat but a pawn shop, I immediately picked up the phone to get the scoop.  It turns out that the owner really likes the sign and doesn’t want to sell it.  He’s keeping it lit and spinning and will probably replace the middle band with the name of his pawn shop (“some day”).   I’m hoping he forgets about that since I think that “Laundromat” band is original.  But, hey, since there are only about 50 of these signs in decent or semi-decent shape, that’s a small thing if we can keep this ONE example operational.

 

So, that wraps up this winter series of downer posts.  My entire website is as current as it can be for the moment.  I can now forge ahead towards planning the big June trip (Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, & Oklahoma).  I’ll also take a few little California trips before that with posts of things that miraculously still survive!

Until then, check out your favorite categories at my website via the Home Page (or use that white keyword searchbox).  If you’re the anal type, there’s also the Site Map.

If you are into signs and you can find a way, you don’t want to miss the three-day Neon Speaks Festival & Symposium at the end of April in San Francisco.

Happy trails,

dj & the dogs

 

The grunt work is done!  I’ve finished combing the rest of the signs section at my website’s map links for changes (removals, defacing, restorations, etc.).  I’ve got enough for at least two more installments.  Let’s get back to it the “N”s.

NEW MEXICO.  In Silver City, NM, this one might be gone.  The Buffalo Bar closed in 2014. Then, in 2015, there was talk that the sign might come down temporarily for building repairs.  It’s missing at Google’s Street View from 2018.  My photo from 2012:

 

In Albuquerque, the Pioneer Motel sign has been adapted, badly, for apartments.  The tall MOTEL pole sign is also gone now. Here are a couple of photos that I took in 2017:

And here’s what the sign looks like today — no neon and bland as hell:

 

NEVADA. This sign had an interesting history.  Originally located in Vegas at the Last Frontier Village, it made its way to this parking lot in Beatty, NV.  Then, last year the sign just crashed to the ground.  I think the damage was bad enough that it was scrapped. (yes, that’s Sparkle in the background)

 

This sign in Elko, NV at the 449’er Club (name hidden behind the plywood in this photo) was obviously better looking before this look:

But now, here’s the even newer look:

 

This sign in Gardnerville, NV is gone now:

 

This one way out in McGill, NV — also gone:

 

In Wells, NV — this sign and building upon which it was installed are gone:

 

 

A bunch of neighboring signs are now missing in Reno, NV.   The developer is supposedly going to “incorporate” them into the new buildings once they are constructed.  We’ve heard that before.  Either they never come back or they end up being chopped into pieces, neon stripped, text changed, etc.  I know the sign lovers in Reno really trying to save the signs but they didn’t get anywhere.  Let’s hope we see these again, soon, intact, somewhere:

 

The Para-A-Dice Motel sign in Las Vegas is missing.  I talked to the Neon Museum and they said they don’t have it.  They said that the City owns it and that they believe it will be eventually displayed as part of the Enchilada Project someday.  Hope so.
https://medium.com/@CityOfLasVegas/project-enchilada-set-to-redevelop-and-enhance-fremont-east-area-441fe810f704

 

More stuff missing in Vegas.  The Vegas Motel sign was removed.  The museum doesn’t know where it went.

 

Although the statue at the Blue Angel Motel is safe and will be restored & displayed, the rest of the signs from the property are gone now.  I don’t know if they were scrapped or if the museum took any.

The west end of the Fremont Experience is being redeveloped and the Vegas Club was demolished.  The baseball player at the Vegas Club as well as the Golden Goose are gone.  I saw photos of them on the ground and safe.  I don’t know if the Golden Goose sign was saved.  Or what the plans for the statues are.  Vegas Vickie is in storage someplace and will supposedly be reinstalled somewhere.  I don’t know if that means the Glitter Gulch sign or just her.

 

The neon on the Amall sign is gone now.  Here’s a “before” photo:

and the backlit plastic adapted “after”:

 

The Davy’s Locker sign in Vegas that was thrown in the dumpster in 2017: [before]

has been somewhat “reconstructed” for this bar.  I dunno.  I don’t see anything original there.  I think it just turned out to be a tribute piece:

 

OHIO.  These signs in Celina, OH are gone now (the BAIR sign probably still had the “Walgreens Agency” panel underneath):

 

This sign in New Philadelphia, OH:

looks like this now (neon gone, new paint for a new name):

 

These signs in Springfield, OH — gone now:

 

And this Balyeat’s sign in Van Wert — restaurant closed and the sign is gone.  Surely, someone has this treasure, right?

This one in Warren, OH:

The replacement (I’ll keep it small so it’s not as painful):

 

OKLAHOMA. This little detail sign from Don Hickey Used Cars in Oklahoma City is gone now.  Maybe a replacement panel or not that old but so damned cute.  Note the little neon gunfire accents which I assumed flashed.

 

This neon sign in Tulsa, OK is gone now.

Replaced with a boring backlit plastic box sign:

 

Also in Tulsa — this one was replaced with a far smaller, less interesting plastic sign (yes, that building is a former Pizza Hut):

 

OREGON.   This neon sign in Portland, OR:

looks like this now — neon replaced with backlit plastic letters (and the “Tavern” panel is gone):

 

PENNSYLVANIA.  This sign in Milford, PA — replaced with a backlit plastic box for the FairBridge Inn:

 

This one in Pottsville, PA is gone:

From the REXALL SIGNS section.    This sign in Oakland, CA is gone:

These signs in Crookston, MN — gone:

 

SOUTH DAKOTA.   This one in Deadwood, SD is gone:

 

TENNESSEE.   An old ripple tin from Bristol, TN — gone:

 

This one in Kingsport, TN — gone:

 

This one in Memphis, TN — gone:

 

This one in Nashville, TN — gone:

 

OK — let’s catch our breath.  Back with the final post in this series in a few minutes.

dj

 

I’ve got another round of bad news from the next alphabetical chunk:  Indiana through New Jersey.  But first, a bit of good news.  Last blog post I mentioned the loss of the Balboa Pharmacy sign in Newport Beach, CA.  I called the store’s owner when I got a tip that the sign was back!  So, here’s the story.  Here’s the sign again from my 2013 photo:

Yes, the sign was taken down in 2017.  Between windstorms, the City warned the shop owner that the sign was becoming precarious and that it needed to be removed.  The owner had to have it actually cut into pieces during the removal.  It didn’t actually fall.  But the owner had a sign shop  build an exact replica.  He’s working on getting the neon and bulbs lit again but it is up for now on the building  I’m dying to see it.  White Sail Realty has posted a photo of it.  I don’t see any tubing holes so I’m skeptical about neon being added:
https://deskgram.net/p/1870544260386896939_1112977506

 

Another update.  The Star Bakery sign in San Francisco in the last post is evidently gone-gone.  You may remember (or if you look back to that post) that it was covered with a pediatrician’s panels.  I’m told that the sign itself has been replaced now.  We can only hope that the Star Bakery sign was saved somewhere.

 

OK then — moving on to Indiana.   The Rihm’s Drive-in Liquors sign in Cambridge City, IN is still mostly intact (the bottle & neon but the original, corrugated middle panel has been replaced.  Here’s the previous look:

and here’s what it looks like now:

 

The hanging sign and facade sign at the Victory Bar in South Bend, IN are gone now.  Here’s what will be missed:

 

Gone, too, are the Compton’s Hardware signs in Tipton, IN:

 

The Sam Wolf sign in Indianapolis has been defaced.  Here’s the “before”:

And the “after” from 2018 Google Maps.  Gosh, is that a sign shop guy removing the rest of the neon?

 

This Waffle House sign in Indianapolis (no, no relation to the big Waffle House chain)

looks like this now — uff:

 

Moving on to Kansas.   This prominent sign in downtown Junction City, KS is missing from the building now.  I looked and looked online and couldn’t find any news about the why.  Sure hoping it’s in the shop being restored but it seems unlikely:

 

Both of these signs in Larned, KS at different businesses are gone now:

 

This one in Overland Park, KS — yes, gone:

 

This sign in St. Francis, KS:

has been stripped of neon and turned into this mess:

 

This one in Tonganoxie, KS is gone now:

 

And this one in Wichita, KS — gone now:

 

Moving on to Kentucky.    This one in Hopkinsville, KY is gone now:

 

This one in Horse Cave, KY — yes, gone:

and this oldie in Maysville, KY — gone:

 

One bit of bad news for Massachusetts.  This sign in Auburn, MA:

is now crapped up with backlit plastic:

 

A few signs to report on in Michigan.   This one in Canton, MI is gone now:

 

The Red Lion signs in Grand Rapids, MI are gone now:

 

This sign in Detroit is gone:

 

Only one loss to report from Minnesota.   This rooftop sign in St. Paul is gone now:

 

A bunch of sign losses in Missouri.  This one in Belton, MO is gone:

 

This one in St. Joseph, MO is gone.  Probably small enough that a collector got it.  Ya hope:

 

In Kansas City, these Sam’s Bargain Town signs are gone:

 

These two signs in Kansas City are also gone:

 

There were two signs at this used car lot in Kansas City.  This one is gone now:

and this one:

has been repainted again.  Surely it must have been far nicer originally:

 

This one in St. Louis, MO is gone now:

 

Only one loss to report on from Mississippi.  This Holiday Inn inspired sign in Houston, MS is gone now:

 

And one loss from Montana.  This sign in Billings, MT:

has been reworked with plastic.  How painful is this?

 

One mention for North Carolina.  I’m worried about this one in Raleigh, NC.  Here’s what the sign looked like in 2005:

Yes, the neon was already missing but there were still nice details.  And this sign is HUGE.  In 2009, the sign was repainted which was good and bad.  The text panels were completely painted over and the tractor paint job was so-so:

In 2018, the sign was removed so that the building could be demolished and replaced (most likely with something much taller?).  Now, supposedly the sign will go back on top but you wonder.

 

One sign to report on from North Dakota.  This one in Grand Forks, ND is gone:

 

Moving on to Nebraska.   This sign in Bellevue, NE:

…has lost its neon and its corrugated plastic panel.  How awful looking is that backlit plastic?

 

This sign in Omaha, NE has been “saved” only sorta kinda.  The before shots:

And now submerged in the dirt in an upper level new apartment complex.  Yeah, up there where you really can’t even see it:

Here’s an article about the sign’s, um, “salvation” which shows the photo below of the sign stuck in the dirt next to the pool.  Why, why, why.  The poles were a big part of the sign’s design dammit:
https://www.omaha.com/money/iconic-louis-market-sign-has-a-new-home-at-recently/article_874912fa-0402-590f-912a-25c45ca64f02.html

 

And, closing out with New Jersey for this post.  You may have heard that the Marcal Building in Elmwood Park, NJ was destroyed in a fire last month and that this sign went with it:

 

This beauty in Irvington, NJ:

now looks like this:

 

And lastly, this beauty in Springfield, NJ:

is apparently gone.  Whatever’s under that vinyl covering looks far too rectangular to give me hope that the neon is there under it:

 

OK.  So, if you’re not sick to your stomach, then you’re not human and you have no appreciation for history or art.  BUT the good news is, out of all the signs I checked on so far, there are thousands that are still in place.  For now.  If you want to cheer yourself up, scoot on over to my website to see what’s still out there waiting for your visit and camera:

http://www.roadarch.com/signs/1.html
I probably have two or three more posts (and two or three more weeks) before this gruesome project is done.  Then, I’ll head off for some shooting and sharing and we’ll get back to focusing on the survivors.

dj & the itching-to-travel dogs

Here’s what’s happened to vintage signs in Colorado, Iowa, Idaho, and Illinois in the past year or so.  Most of it is not good, as you probably know.

This nice plastic sign in Pueblo, CO disappeared between 2012 and last year.  I don’t know of any others like it on public display.   It was at Klamm’s Shell Bar & Cafe:

 

This sign in Trinidad, CO also disappeared between 2012 and 2018:

 

This fun sign in Atlantic, IA which combined football and bowling imagery was replaced recently with a dull, backlit box sign:

 

The Hy-Vee supermarket in Corydon, IA closed and this sign was removed:

 

The Rose Bowl in Mason City, IA closed after a fire in 2014.  The giant bowling pin is missing now:

 

This lovely sign in Caldwell, ID:

has been disfigured (neon removed, repainted):

 

This sign in Boise, ID:

Was “adapted” around 2017 for the Suds Tavern.  The neon and bulbs were removed and it was repainted.  The Google Map below is pretty bad — but Jess Jackson has a photo at Flickr that shows the sad transformation better:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/phydeaux460/36943985156/

 

This beauty in Pocatello, ID looked lovely at night as well — here’s Jess’ photo showing the sweet blue star:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/phydeaux460/4880953447/

Well, a barber shop moved into the space last year, removed the neon and painted the panels white.  I’ll spare you the photo.

 

 

Illinois has been really hard hit in the past five years or so.  Not so much in Chicago (which has lost dozens of incredible signs in the past dozen years) but everywhere else.  I was never sure if this sign in Benton, IL was vintage or modern but it was nice, regardless.  It even revolved.  But it disappeared sometime after 2015:

 

These mass-produced, plastic mortar & pestle signs are getting very rare now.  Only a handful left around the country.  This drug store in Collinsville, IL closed in 2017 and by 2018, the sign was gone:

 

This jewelry store in Vandalia, IL had been gone for at least 10 years but other stores occupied the space below.  By 2018, the building was vacant and the sign was gone:

 

This sign in Wilmington, IL was still there in 2016 — but both the building and sign were gone in 2018:

 

This motel in Eldorado, IL had been closed for years.  It was still there in 2013 but the buildings and sign were gone by last year:

 

The Sabre Room in Hickory Hills, IL closed in 2016.  This sign was part of the auction but it was still there in 2017.  So, I guess no one bought it and I fear the worst happened from the 2018 vacant lot at Google Maps:

 

This special sign in Highland, IL disappeared about a year ago and the motel is “for sale”:

 

This sign in Salem, IL is, you guessed it, gone now:

 

This sign in Seneca, IL hung there for decades despite the closed business.  Sometime about a year ago, the building and sign gave way for a new Dollar General store:

 

Another one gone — was in South Beloit, IL:

 

These two signs were in Rockford, IL:

The upper sign with that incredibly rare, original marbled paint on the porcelain had overlying, alternating neon reading “FOOD” over “DRUGS” which must have been so nice at night:

Both signs were removed by a Loves Park sign shop.  I never heard back from them but I’m hoping that the signs got good homes or are safe at the shop.  But, boy, they really were such icons in downtown Rockford.  They should never have left.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rickm15/4602760546/

 

 

I’m really disappointed that I never got to shoot this sign in Mount Carmel, IL.  It looked just like this John Margolies photo from 1993 until recently:
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/mrg.08427/

Well, here’s the plastic POS that’s there now — cross that one off your list:

 

Moving on to a few Chicago losses.  This store closed and the sign is gone now.  The big metal support structure on the roof is still there as a reminder of what was:

Maybe it’s because of the wind in Chicago or maybe it was just a common method used by sign shops there, you see blocks and blocks of these steel supports that held massive and incredible signs at one time.  Soooooo depressing.

 

This sign was still there in 2016 but gone now. Yep this one had a “Chicago hanger” (my term) type of support with the chains as well:

 

The store closed and this one was removed last year.  At least it is now in a private collection.  Uh huh, steel & chains again:

 

Here’s another one that I regret I never got to shoot and now it’s gone.  I’m assuming it was always an auto-related shop.  Check out that speedometer with what must have been an animated, ascending neon arrow pointing up at the mph.  What a joy that must have been at night!  A better photo than Google Maps here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/balinesecat/12311525765/

 

Let’s close with a bit of good news.  This photo of the Wayne’s Feed Store sign in Rockford, IL is from 2006:

I worry more about these homespun signs more than their fancier neon cousins.  But I’m happy to report that this one got a nice repaint around 2017.  Thank you Wayne’s!!

 

So, I’ve made it halfway through the “I”s (states beginning with “I”) in this winter project.  I’ll be back with another post in a couple weeks with more sign news.

Shoot ’em and save ’em whenever you can…

Take care,

dj & the dogs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But be forewarned, most of this is bad news.  Continuing with my annual winter project and updates to my website from clicking on those [map] links in each description.  Lots and lots of signs are now missing.  We can hope that some went to collectors at least or museums (less likely).  However, we must face the truth that most were scrapped.

First item of business:  you may notice that this blog has a new easy to type and remember url:  https://roadarch.blog/  Not to worry, the old longer url (roadsidenut.wordpress.com) will redirect forever to this new one.  I was forced to upgrade at WordPress and figured it was time to jive the name with the website‘s name (www.RoadsideArchitecture.com has had the double, shortie url of http://www.roadarch.com for years now).  Yes, blogs and websites are very different things (chronological posts vs. super organized structures).  And my focus has always been on the highly organized website (for nearly 20 years now!).

All of the “before” photos in this post were taken by me with the bad news “afters” courtesy of Google Street View.  Now then, plowing through alphabetically, starting with the heartbreaks in ARIZONA.  Luckily, only a couple for that state.

This beauty in Safford, AZ was removed in 2018 and replaced with a boring plastic box last year:

 

And in Mesa, AZ, the neon palm trees are now missing from this sign and the plastic panels were replaced:

 

Moving on to about a dozen recent losses in CALIFORNIA.  This one is only half bad news.  While the neon is gone, the fish has been nicely repainted.  Here’s the Bucksport Sporting Goods sign in Eureka, CA in 2016:

And now (that guy painting the building gives you a sense of scale):

 

This sign in Martinez, CA:

has been adapted for this Greek restaurant.  Okay, so it’s still neon.  And yes, there was some bad rust at the bottom of the panels.  But these Florsheim Shoe signs which used to be all over the country are super rare now.  In this case, I would much rather have seen it removed and handed to a happy collector while a new sign put up in its place.

 

The Balboa Pharmacy sign in Newport Beach, CA is gone now.  It got some paint in 2009 but I think that only somewhat concealed the rust that was going on.  This photo is from 2013.  In 2017, the sign crashed to the ground and was a mangled mess.  It was destroyed.

 

The Peking Restaurant in Red Bluff, CA closed around 2016.  By last year, there was a Mexican restaurant in the building and this sign was gone:

 

I don’t believe there are any Shakey’s Pizza Parlor signs with neon left.  The Riverside, CA location closed in 2016 and this sign is gone now:

I believe all of the the older locations that had neon signs now have backlit plastic letters.  In 2017, the El Monte and Monterey Park signs both succumbed to this.  Here are the “befores”:

And now, they both look like this:

 

The Del Rosa Lanes in San Bernardino, CA closed in 2016.  The sign hung in there after that:

Sometime within the last year or so, it was adapted for a medical center.  As you can see, they spared no expense on nice typography:

 

The Washoe Motel in South Lake Tahoe, CA is still in business but this sign is not there at the 2018 Google Map.  The poles are still there so we can hope that it’s just at the sign shop getting repaired:

 

This sign in Bellflower, CA looked like this:

Then, in 2016, the neon was removed and the sign was repainted to look like this:

 

The Townhouse Motel sign in Weed, CA is gone.  The motel replaced it with a rectangular plastic box sign.  I’ll spare you the “after”.  It’s ugly as hell.

 

The Townhouse bar in Sacramento has been through a lot.  Here’s the original look – my photo from 2008:

Then recreated in 2013 for the Starlite:

And then last year or so, painted black & the martini is gone as the Holy Diver:

 

This sign in San Francisco:

was covered up with new panels around 2017 for a pediatrician sign.  We can only hope that they didn’t use superglue or some crappy adhesive and that the bakery sign’s porcelain is safe underneath and can be resurrected one day:

 

This sign in Stockton, CA:

was stripped of neon and horribly disfigured for another liquor store about a year ago.  It doesn’t get much worse than this, does it?

 

OK enough of that!  Let me leave you with 3 bits of happy news for California.

This sign in North Hollywood had peeling paint for many years.  It was completely restored last year:

 

In Vacaville, CA: a glass half-full surprise.  Here’s a photo I took in 2014 of the U-Save Liquor sign.  Peeling & rust but still delightful.  Most of the U-Save locations’ signs have been replaced with backlit plastic in recent years.  So, this was a hold-out:

 

Until 2016, when the neon was removed and the sign was repainted:

The neon tubing holes had apparently been patched and that seemed to be the end of the story.  At least the rust way maybe under control.  Then, last year, the sign was apparently dressed with LED rope.  So, at least it’s lit at night, sort of, or until the rope breaks:

 

Lastly, this sign in Los Angeles crashed to the ground in 2017 and we were sure that was that.  Never to be seen again.  I even called them on the phone and they didn’t think it would be back:

But then, sometime last year, it reappeared.  Apparently, a mostly faithful reproduction with the neon on top (the text on the panels is a little disappointing but hey…):

 

This is a ridiculously huge post so I’ll cut it off here.  I have another one nearly ready to go tonight.

Stay tuned…

dj & the dogs