This nice little mid-century modern Firestone store in Selma, AL was hit by a tornado earlier this year. Here’s a photo I took in 2010:

From StreetView in March – note the mangled plastic letters (which were surely neon originally):

And in October — I don’t know if this will be a Firestone again but the plastic pole sign is still there:

I never got to shoot this mcm Firestone in Arlington Heights, IL — and now it’s been replaced with a boring modern boxy bank.

This sign, giant tire, and even the poles in Spokane, WA are gone now:

They are building a huge skyrise on top of this Art Deco Firestone building in Seattle, WA:

Moving on to the Giant Things section. This tooth in Vienna, VA is gone now:

This dentist office in Marshall, MI had 2 teeth in the display windows and two others in the window above. They are all gone now:


From the Castle Buildings subsection – this building in Akron, OH has been remodeled:

It still houses the Castle Auto Group used car lot but with boring brick and less roofline crenellations:

From the Giant Globes subsection… I knew they were restoring the Savannah, GA globe last year — a miracle really. And now StreetView has the finished product. Here’s how it looked in 2021:

and now:

From the Giant Guns subsection, this BBQ place in Duncan, OK closed and the smoker gun is gone now.

From the Giant Hats subsection… this cowboy hat building in Tyler, TX has been through a lot. Originally, it was a Kickerz Coffee. There were at least two other buildings like this. The one in Whitehouse, TX is gone now. Another also in Tyler is now housing a taco place. This one from my photos in 2011:

and in 2018:

From StreetView in 2021:

and since earlier this year — a convenience store:

From the Iceberg & Igloo & Caves subsection – The Igloo ice cream stand in Toledo, OH has been closed since around 2017 and was getting pretty ugly. Maybe this fresh coat of white paint will make it more appealing to a buyer that will reopen it:

This cute igloo building in Brice, OH was built in 1970 as an ice cream stand.

After being vacant for many years, in 2016, it began housing Bowser’s Hot Dog stand. Unfortunately, you can barely see it now behind all the junk:

From the Giant Things subsection – this giant arrow in Joshua Tree, CA was removed earlier this year:

This giant cigar in Chicago, IL is gone now. The store looks closed:

The Giant Gavel (and store) in Springville, UT are gone now:

These giant glasses and the store in Garden City, MI are gone now:

And these giant glasses and the store in Pensacola, FL are also gone now:

From the Giant Paint Cans subsection – this store in Austin, MN had closed by 2016 and the sign is gone now:

From the Windmill Buildings subsection – the Windmill Travel Center in Dexter, MN had been closed since at least 2008. It consisted of a restaurant, gas station, and motel. This was the restaurant building, originally built as a Nickerson Farms. The cute shutters were removed by 2015:

and now, the windmill is gone and the property is used for storage or some such:

This little guy in Clarkston, WA from 1999 is gone now:

That’s it for now. I’ll be back soon with Dinosaur statues, Department stores, and maybe more in the next post. I’m only 15% of the way thru this winter project – so many more posts to come.
Happy trails,
dj & the dogs

























































































































































































