Day 7: More Denver Area

It was a big day of shooting around Denver with some crappy cloudy weather. So, this is a nice photo-packed post. Everything below is in Denver unless specified somewhere else.

Let’s start with this painted wood sign La Sierra Carniceria y Taqueria. There are actually two of these signs there and it seems to be the business’ logo:

There’s also this painted wall:

The Lions Lair opened in 1967 and I believe this backlit plastic sign is from then:

This bulb-crazy sign is at Monroe Discount Liquors. The curved arrow projects off the building. I believe the sign is still lit at night:

I assume that this sign had neon originally but those projecting lamps to light the sign at night look pretty old as well. The other side of this sign is even more faded:

This Rio Grande Liquor sign is another faded beauty:

The Olin Hotel was built in 1925 and this sign on the side of the building was probably installed a few years after that. Those (what I call) applied letter signs were commonly built in the 1920s and 1930s:

The Sun Liquors sign is missing the neon and most of the bulbs. I suspect that there were panels attached to the sides of the “LI” which are missing now but the sign has looked like this since at least 2007. As for the significance of the yellow bird, I wish I knew:

Mr. A’s has both neon and backlit plastic signs. The sign was fully lit just a few years ago but the neon is nearly all gone now:

The Horizon Lounge has two of these signs as well as a faded Hamm’s beer sign:

This camo-painted former gas station is across the street:

The Aristocrat’s “Motor Hotel” panel was originally a corrugated plastic panel (I like to call them “corduroy” panels) which I don’t think many/any sign companies are producing anymore. There was also another plastic “ballie” beneath the “vacancy” panel:

The barrel vault canopy is still there:

The Bar 404 sign has been through a lot. I believe the sign was built in 1951 for Feld’s Club 404. My 2012 photo:

By 2014, it had been crudely painted over by Brendan’s Pub:

It was painted entirely white after that until Rory’s Tavern painted it:

In 2021, it got its current look and a return to the original name. I would imagine that the bulbs along the outside were lit sequentially and that the martini’s bulbs were scintillating. Maybe someday, that can be restored — we can dream:

This sign was restored in 2013:

In Commerce City: this place opened in 1945 as the 6&85 Restaurant, named after its location at the intersection of two highways. In 1959, it became Deno’s 6&85 and these signs were installed. My 2012 photo:

Deno’s closed in 2017 and the place has been vacant since then. The big property has tons of prairie dogs and my dogs had a grand time chasing them:

At some point, the neon was replaced with terrible LED rope and this makes the sign even sadder than just broken neon tubing:

Back to Denver. This 20-foot-tall dog was installed in 2011 at the Denver Animal Shelter. “Sun Spot” is covered with 90,000 stainless steel dog tags. After 12 years, many of the tags are missing now:

This sign was built for the Pillar of Fire evangelical AM radio station. It has been there since at least the mid-1940s:

The La Fiesta Restaurant opened in 1964. This sign must be from then unless it was adapted from a previous business:

The Mayan Theatre — much nicer on a sunny day:

The Broadway Plaza was built in 1957. The “MOTEL” letters revolved:

In 2014, the building was renovated for office space and the signs were adapted for The Metlo (note the rearrangement of the “MOTEL” letters):

The Mozart Lounge sign was resurrected from a nasty repaint for the Aqua Lounge around 2014:

It was restored in 2016 back to the original look:

By 2007, the former Pig ‘N Whistle Motel & Restaurant sign had been adapted for a car wash. That was already closed when this photo was taken in 2012:

The sign was built in the mid-1950s and the business closed in 1991. Fortunately, in 2019, the sign was restored for a medical marijuana shop that took on the Pig ‘N Whistle name:

From Aurora: the Stanley Aviation factory was built in 1954 and I believe this sign is from then. The company closed in 2007 but the sign was not removed. Ten years later, the building was adapted for the Stanley Marketplace and the sign remains. The neon was replaced with LED rope:

Back to Denver: this air traffic control tower was built in 1962. It is all that remains of the Stapleton Airport. The building below now houses FlyteCo Tower, a brewery/restaurant and entertainment venue: