Finally! I wrapped adding all the remaining Illinois photos to my website today. In the course of researching and adding them, I’ve got about 200 things on my list now that I didn’t know about before the June trip or need reshooting (wrong time of day or crappy weather). So, I’ll be back someday — maybe a couple years from now with a Minnesota/Wisconsin/Michigan trip.

Let’s start with the Tower of Pisa in Niles:

This former gas station in Chicago is right across the street from Wrigley Field:

This fake castle in Chicago was originally the Ivanhoe Restaurant (now a Binny’s Liquor):

This mausoleum is in Graceland Cemetery in Chicago:

This ship-shaped beach house is right on Lake Michigan in Chicago:

This former Tastee-Freez is in Chicago:

This Fannie May Candy House in Skokie is the only one I know of in the colonial style. I’ve shot many others that are porcelain enamel boxes:

This former Walgreens department store is also in Skokie:

This little strip mall in Glenview has been sold and there are plans to demolish the buildings and replace with a parking lot:

One of my favorites in Chicago:

I still can’t figure out what the original name was when this sign in Chicago went up. It was the A&T Grill for many years but that wasn’t it:

A former Foremost Liquor sign with stuck-on panels in Chicago:

More liquor in Chicago:

Packy’s Liquors is in Des Plaines:

A two-fer-one in Waukegan — above the entrance…:

… and this one across the street in the parking lot:

In Skokie: originally, Skokie Lumber with the oval-shaped panel changed when the business became a Crafty Beaver Home Center:

Two more signs in Skokie:

This sign in Chicago appears to be from the 1950s with a panel or two or three swapped out for Chicken Inn when they moved into the building in 1972:

Simon’s Tavern in Chicago opened in 1934. There was a blade sign of some sort there then. This sign with the pickled herring wearing a Swedish helmet was built in 1994:

Let’s close with this unintentionally phallic, new neon sign that went up at Sluggers Bar in Chicago last year:

I’ll be back soon as we start on a couple weeks of Indiana.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

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Everything in this post is from Chicago. There are a few Weber Grill restaurants in Illinois and Indiana including this one right downtown:

The very famous pair of lions in front of the Art Institute:

One of a few former Studebaker dealerships in town:

This programmatic facade with a Rolls-Royce grill & statue on top, headlights, bumper, and tires was built as a garage in 1986:

A former Woolworth department store:

A detail from the Veseman Building:

The corner clock at the former C.D. Peacock jewelry store:

The Father Time clock with opal glass “TIME” letters:

This building with the terra cotta eagles was demolished. However, the 2nd story facade with the eagles was carefully removed and reinstalled on this building constructed at the same site:

The St. Joseph the Betrothed Ukrainian Catholic Church built from 1975-1977:

The Essex Inn was built in 1961. This is either the original scaffold sign or a replica of it:

This Golden Nugget Restaurant sign was adapted by tacking the small “APPLE” panel over the “NUGGET” text and adding a little neon:

I’ve tried my best to get the history of this one to no avail. I suspect it was a repurposed sign since Podlasie didn’t open until 1986:

The Erie Cafe opened in 1994 and this sign was built then:

The Stop & Drink vintage sign was fortunately kept with the Clark Street Ale House took over the space:

I believe these signs were installed in 1946. The bakery closed in 2022 but the signs remain (and the space is still vacant):

I believe this Pequod’s Pizza location opened in 1992. The chain’s mascot is a sperm whale with a pair of women’s underwear on its head:

This business was stablished in 1910 and is still operating. The sign appears to be from the 1950s:

Let’s close with what’s always been one of my Chicago favorites. The sign is about 40 feet tall and the business is long gone:

There will be even more Chicago area in the next post. And then we move on (finally) to Indiana after that.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

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Here’s a little break from all those Midwest photos. A couple weeks ago, I took a little 4-day trip to Central CA & Bay Area for the annual NeonSpeaks Festival & Symposium in San Francisco. I usually only attend the main event day for that and justify the gas money with a bunch of photo-taking on the way and in the area. I just finished adding those photos to my website. So, here are some that you’ll find there (or don’t rate inclusion there).

A giant clog in front of a shoe store in Solvang:

This sea otter and octopus are at a tiny playground in Morro Bay:

Supposedly, a former Sprouse-Reitz five-and-dime store in Red Bluff:

The Senator Theatre in Chico:

The former Sky Terrace Motel (now the Red Bluff Inn) in Red Bluff:

This drive-in is in Chico:

A very foggy morning in Coyote. I imagine that these sign panels were painted to look like planks of wood originally:

Lots of clouds… and wire mesh protection…. but this Masonic Lodge sign is in Oroville:

This recently uncovered Rexall sign is in Los Molinos:

Sodini’s Trattoria is in San Francisco:

The welcome sign in Rohnert Park:

The welcome arch in Williams:

At Pismo Bowl in Pismo Beach:

At a small strip mall with supermarket in Gilroy:

Two signs from Redding:

At the long-gone Depot Hotel Restaurant in Napa:

There were at least eight Cinderella Motels built in California by the mid-1960s. This one in Hollister is the only one left with a neon sign:

And, lastly, from the still operating drug store from 1906 in Red Bluff:

Coming up in an hour or so… another Chicago area post.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

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Getting back to Chicago photos — still several days left to goin the Chicago area. This giant mouth is located at the Chicago Doll Museum and Gallery:

A detail from the Northwest Armory:

The St. Mary Church Hospital:

The Ida Crown Natatorium (pool):

A former International House of Pancakes that’s been sitting vacant for years. There’s been talk of demolition for a few years now:

A former Tastee-Freez that was being remodeled for Small Cheval in June when I was there:

A former White Tower from the 1930s now a gelato place:

The Palace Grill – closed since last year after a file:

The Trim ‘n Tidy Cleaners — overgrown trees blocking the arrow:

The Hoyne Savings Bank and…:

… on the side of the building nearly hidden by the building next door:

A brand new sign (and bar):

This sign was moved to the Friends of Friends bar from the former Danny’s Tavern:

… in the past, the Friends building actually housed a Schlitz tavern (relief on the side of the building):

A fairly new bakery (which looks incredible, I’ll go inside next time!) with a modern neon sign:

The bakery also installed this sign recently. It came from a closed bakery in Cincinnati and was gently re-texted a bit at top and bottom before restoring the neon:

Just down the street from that bakery, the vintage California Clipper sign:

Cloudy skies for this one but I’ll include anyway):

An adapted sign from the Golden Flame restaurant:

This cleaners has been closed for-ev-er but the sign remains:

This hotel has been closed for a few years. The owner put the sign up for sale but changed his mind when the locals went nuts… and so it remains:

Let’s close with the incredible Roeser’s Bakery with signs from top to bottom:

Back soon with another Chicago area batch.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

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I still have several days left in the Chicago area to work on and add to the website before we move on to Indiana.

This International Fiberglass Indian in Chicago has been on the roof at the same location since at least the 1970s when the space below housed a cigar shop. There is a dental office there now:

This giant toothbrush is at a dental office in Franklin Park:

This fake castle building in Chicago is from 1925 when it housed a gas station and repair shop. It later housed the Castle Car Wash but it has been vacant since the 1990s:

This former International House of Pancakes in Chicago is now a Mexican restaurant:

This former office building in Chicago is now used as a church:

This office building is in La Grange:

The Polar Bear Drive-in with a wooden polar bear sign is in North Riverside:

Johnnie’s Grill is in Melrose Park:

This crown sign in Cicero has been installed on top of a bar sign for decades. It is similar to Best Western’s crown signs but smaller and narrower:

This Aamco Transmissions shop in Cicero is still operating and has its original vacuum-form sign. These were mass-produced and distributed all over the country but there are very few left:

I posted the neon Lezza Spumoni sign in Elmhurst over at main Flickr account. But here’s the less spectacular but cuter sign:

This sign is in Chicago. The meat on the spit used to revolve and was backlit at night:

This corner clock sign in Cicero at the Central Federal Savings Bank originally revolved and had the bank’s name on the other side. There are clocks on both sides now and I don’t believe it revolves any more:

This rooftop sign in Chicago was built in 1961. One side reads Travis Realty while this side advertises for Dempsey Travis’ mortgage company (Sivart is Travis spelled backwards). The oval sign originally revolved along with the time/temperature box below which is installed on the same pole:

This wonderful house sign is at a real estate company in Chicago:

Some more Chicago signs:

The restaurant’s been closed for many years. The space is still vacant and the sign remains:

I don’t know if the add-on flashing light element on this sign was always shaped like this or if the arms were more evenly spaced originally:

It looks like the two arms on the far left are bent downwards:

This sign originally advertised for the Village Bake Shop and was painted light blue. Smakowski’s closed around 2018 but this sign remains:

This sign is at the U-Turn Covenant Church in Northlake:

These two 1950s signs in Broadview originally advertised for Remick’s restaurant and later Paolella’s restaurant. I wish I could find photos of what they looked like then. Old Warsaw has been there since 1973:

And the last sign for this post is in Cicero. Another closed business but the sign remains:

I’ll be back soon enough with more Chicagoland.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

Moving on to the Chicago area for a while. This giraffe bursts through the roof at a dental office in Aurora:

This frog sculpture is in a park in Batavia:

This sculpture in Chicago is from 1915. Most sources believe it’s a caveman but some believe it’s St. John the Baptist or Jesus :

The St. Charles Municipal Center:

A former Red Barn restaurant in Chicago:

This round building in Chicago Heights originally housed Fox Head Motors:

The oval-shaped former Jack Stewart Ford dealership in Chicago:

The Juniper Towers apartment building is in Park Forest:

The Hinds Laboratory is at the University of Chicago:

This long-vacant building in Calumet City originally housed Geno’s Drive-in:

This former Dari-Delite in Aurora. More about the chain at my website here: https://www.roadarch.com/eateries/ddelite.html#613

The Boz Hot Dogs in Thornton:

This sign in South Holland originally had a star on top — my photo from 2008:

and now:

This skeleton (window) sign is at Custom Cleaners and Shoe Repair in Chicago. The projecting neon sign appears in the reflection here:

This sign is in Blue Island:

The former Fushing House restaurant sign is in Chicago:

This church sign is in Chicago:

This Chicago cleaners is long gone but the sign remains. “The Best” letters were lit with neon on one side and bulbs on the other:

The Miska’s Liquors sign in Blue Island has changed names a few times but at least the bottles on top and neon below are still there:

The long-closed Kiddie’s Fashions store in Chicago:

The long-closed Jean’s Bakery from 1948 is in Harvey. The “Jean’s” on the vertical panel has been covered up since at least 2007. There was a “Kiddie Cakes Our Specialty” skeleton sign in the window which I assume is gone now – but it could still be there under the plywood:

There are now nearly 100 Portillo’s Hot Dogs restaurants in 11 states with about half of them in the Chicago area. Most of them have a few vintage signs inside with other Americana type stuff. These two signs are at the Crestwood location:

This sign in Chicago originally advertised for the Mt. Greenwood Hardware store:

A former Foremost Liquors sign in Chicago:

This drive-in is in Chicago. Note the additional neon tubing for “Shakes” over “Hamburgers” which flash/flashed in sequence:

This sign is in Chicago Heights. I don’t think this was originally the Marnell Drive-in but despite my digging online I could not come up with an earlier name:

And finally, last photo for this post — this sign is in Chicago. There are actually two identical signs — one on each corner of the building:

Many more days of Illinois to go before moving on to Indiana. Be back soon with another post.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

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Let’s start with some statues. This one was originally installed in this park in Davenport, IA where it served as the entrance to Mother Goose Land in the 1950s:

The kiddie park is gone but the goose remains:

According to the artist, Harry Dumpty was the brother of Humpty but less known because he didn’t fall. This sculpture is installed at the DeKalb Public Library in DeKalb, IL:

A snowman at Santa’s Village in East Dundee, IL:

I stumbled upon this cute restaurant in Rochelle, IL. Back home after doing my research, it turns out this was a big chain but this is the only one left:

This building in Davenport, IA was built as a First National Bank. Later, it became the Brenton First National Bank. The building was adapted in 2020 for The Brenton apartments:

This was the administrative building for Rockford Products in Rockford, IL. In the 1950s and 1960s, the company was the world’s largest manufacturer of fasteners. It led to Rockford’s nickname of “Screw City.” The company closed in 2016 and this building has been vacant since then. I missed the fence details — each picket has screws and bolts on top.

I also missed the cool clocktower with bolts for numbers around the corner — here’s a snippet from GoogleStreetView:

The Medical Surgical Building in Elgin, IL has been abandoned since 2002:

The Tivoli Theatre in Downers Grove, IL:

This Salvation Army building in Elgin, IL is from 1930:

The Lincoln Executive Plaza in Arlington Heights, IL was built from 1981-1985. The building later housed the Daily Herald but it has been vacant since 2019:

The Dairy Queen in Lombard, IL turned 70 this year:

I just found out today that the oldest surviving Dog n Suds location in Robinson, IL has been demolished and the original “Rover” sign was sold. Although I can’t confirm after much searching, this building in Davenport, IA has to be the only surviving wedge-shaped building since Robinson is gone. Note the canopy in front was removed and the building has been used for storage for years:

This single-sided sign is in Elgin, IL, Note the bricks are actually a porcelain enamel panel:

This cocktail glass sign is installed at the Bowlmor Lanes in Davenport, IA:

The real estate company in Davenport, IA is long gone but these sign panels way up at the top of the building’s side remain:

I believe this restaurant in Crystal Lake, IL opened in 1975. This sign might be from then:

This “skeleton” window sign is at the 1st Shoe Repair in Waukegan, IL:

This sign is in Clarendon Hills, IL:

The Colonial Lodge Motel sign in Elgin, IL was built in 1955. My photo from 2006:

Unfortunately, by 2022, the panels had been painted over and the sign looks like this now:

Last photo for this post – this restaurant and sign in Villa Park, IL are from 1962:

There are about six more days of Illinois before we move on to Indiana.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

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These two days were plagued with bad weather (clouds & rain) so I’m lumping them together for this post.

This giant taco is located in Casey, IL — a town obsessed with giant things:

These giant wooden shoes are installed inside Whisk + Lollies Bakery and Candy Shoppe — also in Casey:

This fiberglass bull statue is at Mike Murphy Ford in Morton, IL:

This giant goat is in Gillespie, IL:

This statue came from a Shoney’s Big Boy in Charleston, SC. It is installed in the American Giants Museum in Atlanta, IL:

The restored Phillips 66 cowboy is installed outside the American Giants Museum in Atlanta:

“Big Ron” at the Route 66 Motorheads Bar & Grill in Springfield, IL was created by Mark Cline from a Big John supermarket mold with modifications to hold a giant sign above. The original statues had different faces and held grocery bags in their arms:

This former Howard Johnson’s motel “gatehouse” office is in Urbana, IL:

The former Icenogle Insurance Agency in Casey, IL:

The Dairy Bar in Sidney, IL:

This former Prince Castle Ice Cream is in Ottawa, IL:

This Maurie’s Candy sign inside Maddie Mae’s in Pekin, IL:

This Maid-Rite Sandwich Shop is in Galesburg, IL:

The Urban Artifacts store in Peoria, IL is full of vintage items and has several signs. You’ll find the Sandy’s Hamburgers sign, a Reddy Kilowatt sign, a Dairy Queen Little Miss sign, and a Big Boy statue at my website. But here are a few other signs:

The Ace Sign Company in Springfield, IL has about 90 vintage local signs installed in its museum. Here are just a few. This one is from a Steak ‘n Shake:

A giant Pepsi bottle cap sign with neon:

An opal glass sign:

… and a bunch of beautiful beer signs:

I’ll be back soon with loads more Illinois posts. The next few days were sunny!

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

Let’s start with this woolly mammoth made from shredded tires at Ripley’s Believe It or Not in Branson, MO:

The new Buc-ee’s in Springfield, MO has one of the new beaver statues. These are more detailed with a t-shirt, bigger teeth, etc.:

This giant snake is at the Crystal Cave Dino Trail in Springfield, MO:

The “Storming the Beach” sculpture is in Branson, MO:

This Stan Musial sculpture is at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MO:

The Olympic Runner sculpture is also in St. Louis, MO:

This giant fiddle is in Branson, MO. The neck protrudes through the window to the outside of the building:

This huge pencil, made from wood and graphite, is inside the City Museum in St. Louis, MO:

The former J&W Liquor store from 1969 is in Paducah, KY. The building originally had round plastic letters spelling out “LIQUOR” over the roof but only the supporting posts remain:

The Lemay Church of Christ is in St. Louis, MO:

This City Hall is in Trenton, IL. A glass block detail shot is below:

This ghost sign was uncovered in Clayton, MO when the John P. Field’s bar building was demolished last year:

A modern sign at the Westport Plaza in St. Louis, MO:

A vintage sign from who knows where – at the City Museum in St. Louis, MO:

The Loop Building in St. Louis, MO was demolished many years ago but this sign was moved inside the Market Pub House. That bar is gone now and the sign has been been installed outside and down the block:

This sign in West Frankfort, IL is just a few years old. There was previously a rectangular plastic box sign at the store. I don’t know if this design was inspired by an earlier sign:

This sign in St. Louis, MO is also just a few years old:

This sign was originally displayed in Carthage, MO:

It’s been replicated and is now displayed at the Route 66 Neon Park in St. Robert, MO. Too bad that the phone number panel is gone. Note that the top panel shown above originally had a tack-on panel which would indicate a name change at some point. And the left panel on the new sign below is taller now:

This sign in Trenton, IL was removed a few years ago – photo from the late & great John Margolies:

The new business had a sign built that went up earlier this year which pays tribute to the original sign:

That’s the end of the Missouri photos for this trip (tons more of them at my website, of course) and we’ll be in Illinois for quite a while now. Another post coming soon… possibly this weekend.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

The focus of this trip was Illinois and Indiana but I made time for a bunch of states and stops on the way there.

This rooftop giant chile pepper is located in Blue Springs, MO:

This giant macaroni is at the Kraft plant in Springfield, MO — unfortunately, protected behind chain link:

This is just one of several Pineapple Whips in Springfield, MO with the gyrating hula girls:

An Art Deco beauty in Kansas City, KS:

This former Coca-Cola bottling plant is in Columbia, MO:

The interior lobby at the Lodge of the Four Seasons from 1964 in Lake Ozark, MO:

Let’s move on to a batch of signs. This one in Springfield, MO:

A modern sign but in the vintage style — at The Legends Outlets in Kansas City, KS:

A former Safeway sign in Kansas City, KS:

This drive-in is in Columbia, MO:

A modern neon sign in Joplin, MO:

Impact Signs in Sedalia, MO has put together a mini park of local orphaned signs next to their sign shop:

There are several orphaned local signs at River Bluff Brewing in St. Joseph, MO including this one from Hatfield’s Sporting Goods:

There are a few lit signs inside the brewery:

The American Jazz Museum in Kansas City, MO has a handful of vintage and replica signs from local jazz clubs. I believe this one is vintage with new neon added:

The Western Motel in Vinita, OK was originally known as the Quarter Horse Ranch Motel. There are a couple of postcard images of the original sign but they aren’t great. Apparently, the horse had animated legs:

Earlier this year, the motel had this new tribute sign installed (previously a simple plastic box sign). Western Motel is spelled out in neon on the panel below this detail. The horse has stationary legs but the cowboy has an animated lasso:

And let’s not forget my travel companions (L-R: Grizzie/13, Dilly/8, Orbie/5, & Gremmie/19) for these trips — here with Old Drum in Warrensburg, MO:

For the next post, I’ll be finishing up Missouri and starting on the Illinois marathon.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

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