Day 17: Moving on to Illinois

We’re gonna be here a while. I spent 15 days in Illinois before turning tail back to California. So, 15 posts will be coming your way over the coming weeks.

Let’s start with some buildings. This midcentury modern American Legion is in Chester. I’m not sure what the technical terms are but I have always called these “barrel roofs with legs”:

The “Dental Dome” in Du Quoin might be midcentury but a lot of these were built in the 1980s as well:

This Art Deco building in Du Quoin houses Decker Chiropractic. I haven’t been able to determine the original occupant:

A couple of heartbreaking situations. The long-closed Massac Theatre is in Metropolis:

…and the long-vacant, former Standard Oil “Red Crown” station in Vienna. The bay at the right has no roof and there are trees growing inside:

A former Phillips 66 gas station in Zeigler now houses a used car lot office and repair service:

Moving on to some statues. There are about 19 of these Popeye-themed statues in Chester. The city adds a new one every year. This is Wimpy:

These wizard statues are at Jeremy “Boo” Rochman Memorial Park in Carbondale. A very sad story turned into something good. Jeremy loved to draw wizards and dragons and he was obsessed with Dungeons and Dragons. He was killed in a car crash in 1993. This property was turned into a public park with castle-style buildings and about 30 statues based on Boo’s drawings:

The Big Muddy Monster in Murphysboro is a local legend. There’s a festival every year and a couple of sculptures:

The mascot for Southern Illinois University at Carbondale is the Saluki. This concrete sculpture is one of a pair. There are also a couple of other bronze Saluki sculptures nearby:

This giant wrench sign is in Marion. If you like giant tools (hammers, saws, and the like), I’ve got a bunch at my website here:
https://www.roadarch.com/mim/misc5.html

I’m guessing that this billboard style sign next to the highway in Du Quoin was originally built in the 1960s. There are two triangulated panels to be seen by travelers driving from both directions. I’m sure there channel letters had neon originally. The graphic display box there now probably had a readerboard with change-able letters. I wish I could find vintage photos of this one:

This sign is at Benson’s Wine Bar in Chester. The “badge” at the bottom center reads Neon Sign Co. in Herrin which must have been the dominant porcelain enamel, neon sign producer in the area as so many signs have this credit:

This modern margarita sign is in Anna at Los Dos Gallos Mexican Bar and Grill:

Another modern sign at the long closed Annex Theatre in Herrin which has been a coffee shop since around 2000:

I believe this neon dancing woman in McClure was originally created in the 1980s for a strip and drag club in Memphis, TN. There were supposedly about 7 or these created but I believe this is the only one still on public display. The club in Memphis has been vacant for years but still has a neon pair of legs over the entrance. This sign is at The Pony which closed last year. There is another location in Memphis which is still open but does not have one of these signs. But that affiliation must explain how this ended up in McClure:

This Knights of Columbus sign is in Herrin (yep, that’s another Herrin sign co. badge on the left):

This long-closed cleaners is in Benton:

And lastly — this Henrici’s Pizza and More sign is in Herrin. While it might look vintage, it was actually built in 2003 by Roth Signs. The business has been closed for a few years but this sign remains. If you like pizza chef signs, I’ve got a bunch of ’em at my website here:
https://www.roadarch.com/sca/pizza.html