This is the last full day of Florida before we move on to Georgia.

Let’s start with Arnold’s Cocktail Lounge in St. Augustine. The sign is in sad shape now. It was apparently inspired by the Holiday Inn “Great Sign” and originally advertised for Roscoe’s Restaurant:

The the “Restaurant” panel was updated to read “Fun, Food & Spirits” in neon. But that panel was then patched and painted for its current look. The arrow’s flashing bulb holes were covered with neon. The remaining neon appears to be broken. But, hey, it’s still fun in its crude state:

There was also another sign at the same place which was removed around 2014. Here’s my photo from 2009:

The former Florida Bonded Pools sign in Jacksonville has been updated quite a bit since the store opened in 1957. This great article describes and shows the original sign with a giant representation of Esther Williams:

https://vintagejacksonville.net/2012/05/15/where-is-she-now/

The building remains the same but the current sign was built around the 1970s. It looked like this in 2009:

Unfortunately, Oak Wells Aquatics moved in apparently earlier this year and slapped opaque painted panels with their name over the backlit text panels. Fortunately, the surfboard-shaped “Wet Set” and diver panels remain. For more diving women signs, see my website here:

https://www.roadarch.com/sca/diving.html

This Coca-Cola bottling plant in Jacksonville was built in 1927. Coke moved to another facility in 1967. This building has been abandoned for many years, maybe even since then. For more Coca-Cola buildings in Florida (and other states), see my website here:

https://www.roadarch.com/beverage/fl.html

This sign for Haley’s Court in Vilano Beach is a real mystery. I’ve done a lot of internet pounding about this one. There are vintage postcards of the original sign which had a simple, 1940s design. It’s a crude and tiny image but there it is with its rounded panels, small top & bottom, and bullnose neon on the sides:

The sign shown below was supposedly the “original” (uh, no way 1940s…) donated to the county by the owners. It was then restored and installed near the motel’s original location. The amoeba shape would suggest 1960s but there are suspicious “retro” (i.e., faked modern to look vintage) elements. Like the fonts used, the channel design of the arrow, and what’s under that “Court” panel anyway? The sign may have been refurbished but I’m more inclined to think it’s totally a recreation. But whatever. It’s still nice to see it around no matter how “real” or old it is:

The Magic Beach Motel in Vilano Beach was built in 1951 as the Vilano Beach Motel. This sign was built in 1999 for the Safe Harbor TV show. The motel kept the sign and changed their name then. Earlier this year, the motel was sold to a developer and this will all be gone soon. Including the relief sculptures of flamingos on the office and the neon flamingo on the chimney:

The Maxwell House neon letters in Jacksonville were built in 1955. This website shows what the sign and freestanding neon cup tubing looked like:

https://vintagejacksonville.net/2015/05/19/maxwell-house-plant-circa-1970/

In 1971, the 10-foot-tall letters were moved onto a screen on another side of the building, where they remain today. The 45-foot-tall dripping cup (“Good to the Last Drop”) panel with three neon drops was built then. Around 2016, the red neon was removed and replaced with LED bulbs and tubing and the drops stopped dripping. Last year, there were plans to restore the sign with better LED that could be changed for holidays and other special events. I don’t think that ever happened.

This former Lovett’s Food Store in Jacksonville was built around 1947. It later became Winn-Lovett’s and later Winn-Dixie. Here’s a John Margolies photo from 1979:

The building is vacant now:

The Murray Hill Theatre in Jacksonville opened in 1949 and closed in 1994. It is now used for live performances:

These fiberglass dolphins in Vilano Beach are installed on the pier just behind the Bluebird of Happiness statue:

The owl at in Jacksonville is installed on a corner of the main public library branch downtown. It symbolizes Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, who could transform herself into an owl. The lockplate and key also symbolize wisdom:

The Morocco Temple in Jacksonville was built from 1910-1911. The building is now used for office space but the Egyptian Revival building and these Sphinx statues which flank the entrance remain:

The Peninsular Pest Control sign in Jacksonville was built in 1966. The mouse and the man’s arm were animated. When the spray gun was “activated,” the mouse would disappear (indicating that he was dead). The Penny Man panel revolved. The mouse and the spray gun neon were intact when I shot the sign in 2009:

However, the mouse and spray gun tubing has been broken since at least 2018 and I don’t think the sign operates any longer. For more pest control signs, see my website here:

https://www.roadarch.com/sca/pest.html

This laundromat in Jacksonville was part of an early 1960s nationwide chain of Philco-Bendix Wash ‘N Dry Clean Sunshine Centers. The vacuum-form sign on the right was mass-produced but I believe this rooftop neon sign was a one-off.

I guess I was pretty fatigued as I totally missed seeing/shooting the backlit plastic sign on the lot. I hope it will wait until I get to Florida the next time! There are still a handful of these signs left around the country:

That’s a wrap for now. Next post, I’ll have a little more Florida and then we move on to about 9 days of Georgia.

Happy trails,
dj & the dogs

Today was another grey day but I did get a decent amount of shooting in before the rain came. One of these years, I’ll do a Florida trip in winter so that I can have better weather.

This motel in New Smyrna Beach has fallen on hard times. I believe built in 1949, it’s now closed and for sale. What’s left of the neon is installed over wooden letters, which seems like a dangerous combination to me. I couldn’t find any vintage photos or postcards to show what this sign may have looked like originally:

This fiberglass shark is installed at the, appropriate named, Big Shark Gift Shop in Daytona Beach. There are actually two other sharks, a dolphin, and a manatee as well.

This rare double-canopy former Phillips 66 station in Daytona Beach is now more like 1 1/3 canopies.

The Driftwood Animal Hospital in Daytona Beach is so simple, yet so lovely:

The Hawaiian Inn in Daytona Beach still has lots of original details from 1965 including this guy:

The peeling paint on this sign in Deland reveals its former name of Jack’s Boulevard:

This sign is also in Deland and looking pretty shabby. The motel is for sale — shoot ’em while you can folks…. Yes, surely, inspired by the Holiday Inn “Great Sign”:

This sign in Palatka originally advertised for a children’s clothing store. The Palatka Historical Society owns the sign. They will remove the sign and display it elsewhere if a tenant does not want the sign above their store:

This building in Daytona Beach was built in 1940:

The entrance and some other details have been messed and the sign is sure hideous but, hey, fairly intact:

I believe the Boat Bar in Port Orange was built in 1972:

Lastly, the Sun Viking Lodge in Daytona Beach remodeled the Oceanfront Villas in 1972 and gave the place a viking theme:

Back soon with more.

Happy trails,
dj & the dogs

Let’s start with a couple of signs from Orlando. Wally’s Liquors has been there since 1954. This sign is probably from later. I love it’s mix of fonts:

The Sands Motel on S. Orange Blossom Trail was built in 1957. The sign is in rough shape these days. This crude snippet from a vintage postcard shows its former glory when it had bulbs around the “MOTEL” arrow and neon text below:

This postcard from the 1960s shows that the sign was already repainted and that the bottom neon panel had been replaced with a readerboard:

There were some rough grey patches this day so I couldn’t do this sign in Maitland proper justice. They’ve been around since 1954:

In 2005, I took this photo at “Sports Dominator” in Orlando when there three statues:

I don’t know what happened to the muscleman but the basketball player was transformed earlier this year when the place became the Bronze Kingdom museum and gallery:

The soccer player was moved down the road to a strip mall with Brazilian stores and restaurants. He is now painted to look like Pele:

This building in Orlando originally housed Weather-Masters Engineering Co. Here’s a Google Street View image from 2011:

In 2012, Redlight Redlight moved into the building. Their new sign in the style of the old ones was installed. The Weathermasters sign shown in the image above was moved inside the bar.

This giant cone at Chillin’ Out Ice Cream in Kissimmee was built in 2002 as a rough approximation of the Twistee Treat design. I’ve got three pages of Twistee Treat buildings at my website here:

https://www.roadarch.com/food/twistee.html

The George’s Tavern sign in Sanford could use a little paint. Here’s a photo I took in 2009 when it had been repainted the year before:

and now. The neon looks like it’s all there. GoFundMe, anybody?:

The giant gator mouth at Gatorland in Orlando was built in 1962 and is so nicely maintained. I’m glad this tourist attraction is still drawing crowds! Lots more giant gators at my website here:

https://www.roadarch.com/critters/gators.html

The Makinson Hardware sign in Kissimmee was built in 1952. The business goes back to 1884. It would be fantastic if the neon on this one was restored one day.

This giant nativity group has been moved around a few times (Orlando and Apoka) but is now in a residential area in Altamonte Springs. The Florida “Giant People” section at my website is here:

https://www.roadarch.com/giants/fl.html

This dinosaur is located at the long-closed Volcano Island mini golf in Orlando. There’s another smaller dinosaur and a woolly mammoth still visible behind the chain link fencing:

This skateboard sign in Orlando was built for an electric skateboard shop around 2011. That store is gone but I’m sure glad that they kept the sign!

This place opened in St. Cloud in 1972. The sign appears to be from then:

This building in Orlando is supposedly a former gas station. I’ve done my damnedest to find out what station it was and what it originally looked like. It’s housed many restaurants over the years — the latest is an Asian fusion taco place:

Last photo for this post from Orlando. The shopping center opened in 1955 with this sign. The paint is getting pretty faded and the clouds didn’t help. Supposedly, the cowboy was animated originally but I’ve never seen a vintage photo to prove it:

Two more days and posts from Florida before we move on to Georgia.

By the way, I’ve also been simultaneously posting some different photos for each day’s shooting over at Flickr here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/agilitynut/

Happy trails,
dj & the dogs

This cheerful sign has been located in Cape Canaveral since 2018 at what is now a combo winery, U-Haul rental office, and, yes, a juice stand:

Arbetter’s Chili Dogs started back in Miami in 1959. It grew to a mini chain with other locations in Hialeah, North Miami, Tampa, and two locations in Cocoa. A Miami location and this one in Cocoa are still operating. This Cocoa location was actually built as a Beefy King around 1968 and this sign is a sad remnant. The plastic panels were blown out by hurricanes and have been vinyl fabric since at least 2007. The middle part of the crown was most likely broken off by flying debris:

The intact crown was still there in 2019 at Google Street View:

Beefy King was founded in Orlando in 1967 and started franchising the following year. There were 107 franchises with other Florida locations as well as Memphis, TN and the Bahamas. In the early 1970s, the franchises were sold to another company which closed all of them. That’s when this Arbetter’s in Cocoa probably opened. Here’s what the Beefy King signs looked like (grand opening ad from 1967). This surviving Orlando sign looks the same, with recently replicated plastic panels. The crown detail on top was lost to a hurricane many years ago.

This Sandman Motel sign is in Mims. Surely, it had neon and probably porcelain panels. Still, there something charming about the hand-painted letters and rust. In 2004, the top half of the sign was blown off by hurricane winds. It was either found or replaced I don’t know if this was the original name. I can’t find any vintage postcards with this design or name:

This Sherwin-Williams sign is in Titusville. The Titusville Hardware Store was located there from 1913 until the early 1980s. I don’t know if this 1950s-looking sign was there then or added when the building was restored. I suspect the latter:

This surfboard-eating shark gets your attention in Cocoa Beach. For more shark statues, there’s a page at my website here:

https://www.roadarch.com/critters/sharks.html

Hot Dog Heaven is located in Orlando. A giant fork which extends all the way to the ground serves as the sign pole:

The Orlando Milkhouse restaurant and bar opened earlier this year with this giant milk carton sign. It is located in the Milk District (named after the T.G. Lee Dairy) in Orlando:

The Plaza Theatre in Orlando features this rooftop sign:

This former Howard Johnson restaurant in Titusville from 1963 may not survive much longer. The motel was demolished in 2014 and this building is vacant:

This sign is at Wade’s Motor Inn in Titusville. The motel was built in 1961 and this sign looks to be from then. I can’t find any vintage photos to indiciate whether those channel letters are original or later additions. Some modern-day LED accents have been added to the squares:

Last photo for this post is this long-vacant, Polynesian-style building in Titusville which was built for Florida Wonderland in 1959. It operated until 1971 and survived a couple more years as Tropical Wonderland. This particular building housed the reptile house. The tourist attraction had themed areas like an Indian Village, a Wild West, a petting zoo and lots of snakes, birds, and monkeys. For more info and photos, see this FB page:

https://www.facebook.com/floridawonderland/

I’ve got about three more days/posts for Florida before we move on to Georgia for about a week.

Happy trails,
dj & the dogs

This is apparently a new sign at The Peach art collective and Troy’s Barbeque in West Palm Beach, FL. I think it went up earlier this year:

The Hotel Evernia in West Palm Beach opened in 1925 as the Hotel Enoree. This sign looks more 1930s/1940s. The hotel became the Evernia in 1979 and this sign was adapted then.

There are Claes Oldenburg giant typewriter erasers scattered around the country: Las Vegas, Seattle, Washington, DC, and this one in West Palm Beach. He made them from 1989-1990. For more Oldenburg sculptures of giant things, see my website here:

https://www.roadarch.com/mim/old.html

Nozzle Nolen Pest Control in West Palm Beach was established in 1951. “Peanut” the elephant has always been the company’s mascot. This sign has been there since at least 1971. The text panel was updated at some point from a simple backlit plastic panel to this one with individual letters slapped on:

But the best thing is that the company still has these cute little mechanized elephants on the roof of some of its trucks. The elephant’s head bobs up and down when the engine is turned on. I have a video here at Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQbG9DtFCIP/

This motel in West Palm Beach had been built by 1961 (the postcard postmark below) and this sign was there then:

It was originally over on the left and there was apparently a neon crown sign installed on the roof. There was something else over on the right where this sign is now but I can’t make out what it was:

Reed’s Motel in Avon Park opened in 1957 as Bennett’s Motel. The original pole sign was adapted later for Reed’s Motel and the diving woman was added then of after that. She originally wore a one-piece bathing suit:

By 2002, the arrow panel had been replaced with a smaller one. Then, in 2004, the sign was badly damaged during Hurricane Charlie. However, the original diver which is about 15 feet long survived. The rest of the sign was rebuilt and by then the diver was wearing a two-piece suit. The text panels’ shapes were changed a bit and the arrow was reduced to about half the size of the original. Here’s a photo that I took in 2009:

In 2018, the motel became a Budget Inn. The sign was removed by Souther Signs which built the replacement: a boring, short monument sign. The diver panel is now displayed in the window of the Pure Grit Boot Company where I shot it this summer. I don’t know if the arrow or text panels were saved. For more diving lady signs, see my website here:

https://www.roadarch.com/sca/diving.html

This gorgeous Art Deco fire station is in Sebring:

This Twistee Treat in Sebring was built around 2015. For vintage and modern examples of these Twistee Treat buildings, I’ve got three pages worth at my website here:

https://www.roadarch.com/food/twistee.html

This trash can was installed by 2008. The turpentine industry has played an important role in the history of Lake Placid:

A few more buildings in West Palm Beach to finish off this post. Here’s an Art Deco detail from the Woolworth building. I have Woolworth buildings from all over the country here:

https://www.roadarch.com/dept/wmain.html

This nifty cleaners was built in 1967:

And lastly, this Esso gas station was built in 1962. It has housed Lynora’s Kitchen since around 2017:

I’ll be back soon with more goodies from Florida.

Happy trails
dj & the dogs

Back to the Florida trip photos. Starting off with the Harbor Club in Fort Lauderdale. The apartment building was built in 1957 and is nothing special really except for the floating staircases and these cool mosaics:

The Premiere Hotel in Fort Lauderdale from 1964 still has the original neon letters:

The Schubert Efficiency Apartments in Fort Lauderdale were built in 1953:

The building now houses the Victoria Park Hotel. The sign is gone…:

… but it still has the nice relief panels next to the projecting windows:

The Sanctuary in Fort Lauderdale was built in 1961 as the Second Presbyterian Church. It is simply amazing inside and out:

The former Coca-Cola bottling plant in Fort Lauderdale was built in 1938 and is a twin to the one in Ocala. Here’s just one detail:

Let’s look at some gas stations. Here’s a well-preserved former Phillips 66 in Fort Lauderdale:

In Plantation, these hexagonal canopies are probably not all that old (1970s? 1980s?) but still wonderful:

In Oakland Park, I think this was built in the 1970s as a Gulf station. It now houses the Noor Bakery & Deli:

The Gateway Theatre in Fort Lauderdale. I fear this canopy with the readerboard will be gone soon. Horrible digital displays are really taking over:

These heads are installed at the Polynesian Gardens condo apartments in Plantation:

The Thunderbird Drive-in in Fort Lauderdale is now more popular for its Swap Shop. This sign surely had neon originally instead of those little LED strips. The nice curvy detail is sadly missing its bulbs:

This neon sign is inside the Swap Shop. I don’t know how vintage it is but the letters are wonderful:

This Publix Supermarket in Lake Worth was built in 2011. They recreated a “wings” detail from their 1950s-era stores:

Last but not least, this Lester’s Diner is in Fort Lauderdale. There are two other locations (Phoenix, AZ and Bryan, OH). The coffee cup originally poured a big bulb arrow:

That’s a wrap for now. Five more posts from Florida coming soon.

Happy trails,
dj & the dogs

Well, yes, Miami Beach is famous for its Art Deco and Streamline Moderne hotels. But there are just as many mid-century modern hotels and other buildings. I’ve got all the photos up at my website from this day’s shooting, so have a look if you like at Miami Beach Art Deco Hotels:
https://www.roadarch.com/deco/hotels.html

And/or mid-century Florida buildings:
https://www.roadarch.com/modarch/flmotel.html

Here are just a couple of photos. I’ve selected these two because I love their projecting windows. The Penguin Hotel:

and the San Juan Hotel:

These mosaics in Miami Beach were created by Enzo Gallo in 1971. The bank is now a Wells Fargo but I think it was original a First National Bank. The building is going to be demolished but supposedly the mosaics will be saved. Here is just a sampling of them. The moon landing and Iwo Jima:

Abe Lincoln & Betsy Ross:

Here is some modern neon on the side of the the Alvin’s Island souvenir shop in Miami Beach:

A former McCrory’s terrazzo apron in Miami Beach — more McCrory’s buildings at my website here:
https://www.roadarch.com/dept/other2.html

Moving on to Hollywood, FL. The Thunderbird Tepee was built in 1951 as a souvenir stand. By the late 1960s, it had become Tepee Western Wear:

The building is still there, kind of. Now walled up and housing Seminole Media Productions. If you like teepee-shaped buildings, I’ve got tons here from all over the country:
https://www.roadarch.com/wigwams/main.html

I won’t go into the history of Hollywood Bread, which was advertised as a diet bread (but wasn’t). This website has great stuff about the woman that founded the company, her lifestyle, and what became of the company:
https://www.abandonedfl.com/hollywood-bread-building/

But let’s talk about the sign. Just weeks after I took this photo in June, the sign was removed and the building was demolished. The sign is promised to be installed on top of the gargantuan condo tower that will be built on the former site. There are actually two signs — one was on the south, the other on the north side of the building. It’s not clear if both sets of letters were saved/will be displayed:

The Beach and Town Motel in Hollywood evidently had just a simple pole sign originally (sorry the only vintage postcard that I could find is tiny and blurry) and the letters on the right side of the tower:

Then, by 1953, a far cooler sign replaced that rectangular one and letters were installed on the front of the tower facing the main drag (S. Federal Hwy). Too blurry to tell, but those letters on the tower might have had neon:

At some point, the tower lost its brickwork and the pole sign was removed. But the tower’s letters are still there (minus the word “POOL”):

One last photo for this post: the Churro Magico in Hialeah, FL. I love this painted gate with all the info and the smiling churro with the magic wand:

Back to Photoshopping the next batch. We still have six more days of Florida to go. Then, we move on to nine days of Georgia, and then some things from Tennessee, Oklahoma, etc. on the way home.

Happy trails,
dj & the dogs

The Seven Seas Motel on Biscayne Blvd. in Miami has not been snatched up and restored/redeveloped yet but I suspect it will be soon. The midcentury modern motel itself has “good bones”:

The Ball & Chain signs in Miami are probably vintage. The letters on the facade might be original and the projecting sign might have been retexted over the years. This undated photo from the bar’s website is probably from at least the 1950s. Modern paint on the side of the projecting sign’s can reads “Fuller Sign Co. 1935”:

The La Carreta Cuban restaurant in Miami opened in 1976 and this sign is probably from then:

Carreta translates as “oxcart”. There’s an even bigger bulb-studded wheel in the parking lot.

This business in Miami opened in 1950 and I’m betting that this skeleton sign in the window is from then:

This sign is in Miami Beach. The apartments were built in 1951 and this sign is probably from then:

This giant cigar is located on “Calle Ocho” (SW 8th St. in the Little Havana neighborhood) in Miami:

This terrazzo apron (entrance tile floor) is located at what is now a thrift store in Miami:

This Gold Dust Motel sign in Miami was built this year as a recreation of the original sign. Either that, or the owner was able to stir up the missing sign which was missing for many year but possibly stashed somewhere. The motel was built in 1957 and got a complete rehab. Here’s a vintage postcard of the place:

The neon lettering on the sign of the mini tower is gone now. The pool and porte cochere are still there.

This bit on another postcard show what the sign looked like at night. I’m guessing it was not animated:

By the 1970s, a rooftop neon sign and a new neon pole sign were added. Slabby rocks were added to the tower:

Matthew Bamberg’s Retro Sign Blog shows what the sign looked like on the tower at that time — painted blue and the word “MOTEL” moved up for some strange reason:

And here’s what the sign looks like now:

I shot a LOT of midcentury/Art Deco apartments and motels in the Miami area. Here are just a couple. The Shore Apartments from 1948 in Miami Beach:

And the King Cole Apartments in Miami Beach from 1962:

The canopy sign at the Casablanca Hotel in Miami Beach:

This Dairy Queen in Miramar was built in 1956:

And, lastly for this post, the repurposed Firestone building and sign in Miami. The building and sign were constructed in 1929. They were nearly demolished in the early 2000s when Walgreens bought the property but, fortunately, preservationists stepped in. Here’s what the building and sign looked like originally — note it was touted as having the “world’s largest and most modern, one-stop service station”. I wish I could read the neon letters at the bottom of the sign:

Supposedly, five of the original Firestone letters were incorporated into the new sign. However, I don’t think that happened. And if they were, they are gone now:

This post got held up a bit since I was busy watching the Neon Speaks online presentations. If you missed it, you can still catch ALL four days’ worth of recorded videos online by purchasing a “passport” here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/neon-speaks-2021-all-event-passport-to-recordings-registration-157148345933

At that link, click on “View Details”:

And here’s the full schedule for what you might have missed:
https://neonspeaks.org/schedule-2021/


That’s it for now. I’ll be back next weekend with more.

Happy trails,
dj & the dogs

Another couple of days shooting in the grey. I think I get a sunny break for a few days after this — just in time for Miami and Miami Beach. Not many signs during these two days but I’ve got some diverse topics.

If you like ship-shaped buildings, I’ve got a bunch of Noah’s Arks at this page:
https://www.roadarch.com/mim/shipsnoah.html

This little cutie is installed next to the Ark Animal Hospital & Clinic in Venice, FL:

Bob’s Train in Sarasota, FL is a restaurant housed in four train cars:

The knight statue on the right in Punta Gorda, FL was here for many years. In 2016, he was joined by the two smaller knights:

The Park Motel in Homestead, FL sure ain’t what it used to be. That pole sign on the left is long gone. The office still has the porte cochere but it’s pretty shabby looking now:

The rooftop, scaffold sign still had its neon until around last year but, surely, it hadn’t been lit in decades. Recently the neon in the channel letters was replaced with crazy, DIY LED rope. But, hey, that’s redeemable if this place ever takes a turn for the better:

I’m a sucker for mid-century modern round buildings — banks, schools, restaurants, you name it. I’d drive two hours out of my way, without hesitation, to see/shoot one. This is the former Pick Music Library, now the Music Administration Center at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, FL:

Ah, the things you can do with concrete! This is the former Grace Church of Kendall, now Metro Life Church in Kendall, FL:

Farm Stores are a real Florida “thing.” I’m crazy about their gullwing roofs which protect the double drive-thru, stay-in-yer-car entrances from the heat and rain. The one below is in Miami. I’ve shot dozens of them for my website here:
https://www.roadarch.com/modarch/flroof.html

So many statues to shoot and reshoot in Florida. I have been educated on the differences between marlins, sailfishes, and swordfishes. The swordfish and shark below are at Bud n’ Mary’s Marina in Islamorada, FL:

Slim pickins for signs and the grey skies don’t do them justice but here are a few. This sign is at Mora’s Liquor Store in Miami, FL:. A very odd-shaped arrow and the channel looks modern (or at least freshly painted). Maybe different letters on the scaffolding originally:

The Bird Bowl in Miami opened in 1956 and this was what the original sign looked like – from this website:
https://www.bowlingheritage.com/item/the-long-awaited-bird-bowl/

Yes, I wish it was still there! And those little square windows and stonework, too. Alas, just a cement wall now.

But the probably-1960s, big replacement sign is still better than a box:

And, lastly, here’s a nice Rexall sign from Homestead, FL. For Rexall signs from all over the country, I’ve got five pages at my website for them:
https://www.roadarch.com/signs/rex.html

I’ll be back this weekend with another post from Florida.

Happy trails,
dj & the dogs

I wanted to make sure you knew about these two events coming up this week if you haven’t seen them promoted on social media yet. Both of them are free but donations are welcome.

The California Preservation Foundation is hosting a webinar on Thursday, Sept. 9 from noon-1pm PST. The five speakers (I’m honored to be one of them) will cover much more than California stuff. And there will be an opportunity for you to ask questions.

Click on Part 2 at the link below for more info about the program and speakers:

https://californiapreservation.org/events/plane-train-auto/

The Neon Speaks Symposium is a MUST for anyone that is interested in signs. This is the fourth year, online again due to COVID. Four full days of great speakers and fascinating presentations on Sept 11-12 and 18-19. I’ll be doing a brief presentation on closing night.

To register and see the full schedule, here’s the link:

https://neonspeaks.org/schedule-2021/

I hope you can make one or both of these events!

Happy trails,
dj & the dogs