All these photos are from Kansas City unless mentioned. Let’s start off with some statues. The “Struttin’ Man” is installed in front of the Gates Bar-B-Q on Emanuel Cleaver II Blvd. This is the chain’s mascot:

“Barney” was originally installed at the Carpet Barn in Springfield, MO. He’s now inside Atomic Collision along with some other statues and signs:

The owner plans to paint this statue which he got from Mark Cline molds. He wants to create a giant paint sprayer and put the statue on the roof at some point.

One of the signs at Atomic:

This is a modern scaffold sign is installed downtown:

This Sprite sign has some broken pieces but still great to see as these plastic “privilege” signs are so rare. It reads “Chinese Carry Out Food” at the top if you’re having trouble deciphering the letters:

These two Don’s Liquor signs are pretty neglected but those bottles in the “Swiss cheese hole” are so cute. Certainly not original to the sign, right?:

This giant hamburger-mobile was built in 2009 from carved polyurethane foam. If you’d like to see more giant burgers, I’ve got a page full at my website here: https://www.roadarch.com/food/burgers.html

This giant handkerchief and shirt pocket were created by Claes Oldenburg in 1999. The sculpture is installed in front of the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art:

The House of Flowers is now a salon but these signs with neon flowers remain:

A former Town Topic Sandwich Shop (now looking closed):

There are still two other locations operating with these signs — this one is on Baltimore Ave.:

The former Tower Cleaners – now Donutology:

The Village Office Center (originally the Bryan Building) in Prairie Village, KS:

An even more impressive barrel canopy at Louis Memorial Chapel:

This Winstead’s restaurant from 1940 is still operating Several other modern locations were built in the Kansas City area but I believe the only other still open is in Overland Park, KS:

The Twin Drive-in in Independence, MO is still operating:

This used car lot is closed but the sign and rooftop feature are still there:

The Scimeca’s sign is behind the Scimeca’s Famous Sausage Company:

A Scimeca’s Retail Market & Deli in North Kansas City opened in 2020 and pays tribute to this sign with a new sign and at their website:

The Milk Jug grocery store in Independence, MO has been vacant for decades but this sign remains:

I was lucky enough to hook up on this trip with Nick Vedros, the man behind the LUMI Neon Museum which will soon be opening a neon alley at Pennway Point. He took me around to his three different storage locations to see dozens of signs. Below are just a few.

More about the project here:
https://www.startlandnews.com/2023/07/lumi-neon-alley/

and LUMI’s website:
https://thelumineonmuseum.org/

Let’s close with one more sign — the enormous and wonderful, fully-functioning Western Auto sign:

Yet more Missouri soon.

Happy trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

Somehow my numbering got off. If it matters, the last post should have been Day 5 and this one is really Day 6. Anyhow, lets start off with some animal statues.

This buzzard statue is in Springfield:

This giant foot, also in Springfield:

I’ve been documenting these former Sirloin Stockade bulls at my website for years. Here’s where you’ll find them:
https://www.roadarch.com/critters/bulls2.html

This one is in Lamar…:

and this one is on the roof in Martin City (although the restaurant and Google both say Kansas City):

This giant chair was built for a furniture store in Lee’s Summit. A few other businesses have occupied this building since then but the chair remains:

The Klaude Kendrick Library at Evangel University in Springfield:

I’ve been shooting these former Mid-West National Insurance Company buildings for years. This one is in Springfield. It would have had a plexiglass dome and revolving globe with a U.S. map on it above that roof projection. It was a very ambitious company that had hoped to build offices in all 50 states. I think they only got to about a half-dozen states before they disappeared. More about them and the surviving locations that I’ve been able to find (let me know if you find others!) at my website here:

https://www.roadarch.com/modarch/mooffice.html#Tax

A former Clark gas station sign in Springfield (I posted the surviving the cute little, mostly intact office building over at Flickr just now:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/agilitynut/

This sign in Butler is located at the now closed Chicken Larry’s Drive-in (former Sam’s Highway Hamburger):

This one is in Lee’s Summit (still open):

This Glo Cleaners is in Springfield:

Also in Springfield:

This sign in Springfield was built and installed in 2022. It was supposedly a replica but I’ve looked at a lot of postcards and do not find a match. Maybe “inspired by” would be a better term? The original sign from 1929 — super blurry but clearly a different design:

And the much larger sign, probably from the 1950s – a curving arrow but much different design:

And the new sign:

A few other signs in Springfield:

The Shamrock Court:

At the South Side Baptist Church – restored in 2016:

Hoover Music closed in 2020…:

but the sign has been adapted:

Taylor’s closed last year but there is some hope that it will reopen:

This sign is in Kansas City:

One more from Springfield to wrap things up:

Even more Missouri soon.

Happy trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

I had so many plans for Missouri last year when my transmission starting acting up and I was able to limp on home early. So, with a new transmission on-board, it gave me a sense of joy and accomplishment to arrive and shoot in Branson where I left off. Branson has exploded with crazy giant stuff since I was there roughly 10 years ago. So, that also filled me with joy. I posted a number of those things over at Flickr:

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

But here are a few other photos. At the Bigfoot Fun Park’s mini golf:

These giant hands and camera are at Beyond the Lens! (The location in Pigeon Forge, TN has two of these):

This giant skate at the World’s Largest Toy Museum:

I knew it looked familiar and was able to identify it as the one I shot a few years ago in Wilburton, OK which disappeared around the same time that it showed up in Branson.

Another aha! moment. These fiberglass rooster and turkey statues in Cassville turned up at QC Supply after disappearing from Springdale, AR and later Lincoln, AR:

This giant Indian was looking for a home when the gift shop in Charlemont, MA decided to get rid of him for being racially insensitive. He is now installed in Vinita, OK at the Hi-Way Cafe (along with a new “Muffler Man” that was created by Bell Plastics and traveled Route 66 for Mobil 1):

The Cafe sign was recently restored:

OK — enough with the giant things. How about this vitrolite facade and glass block at the former Civic Theatre in Webb City:

There are a handful of surviving former Mid-West National Insurance Company buildings in the Midwest but I think this one in Springfield is the only survivor with the original plexiglass dome and revolving ball:

A nice midcentury dealership building (originally Oldsmobile, now Pinegar Honda) in Springfield:

A former movie theatre in Carthage with the sign and interior adapted for a bowling alley:

I liked the old “Lulu” the hula girl design better at the Pineapple Whip trailers in Springfield:

But the new signs still feature the motorized, rapid swiveling hips. And the whip is awesome!:

A cute department store in Monett:

Time for some signs? This one is in Carthage:

This sign is at Dude’s Donuts in Joplin, MO:

Let’s close with a few more signs from Joplin:

More Missouri soon.

Happy trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

We are still just getting started! A pair of lions flank the driveway to a home in Broken Arrow, OK:

The Guardian of the Plains bison sculpture in Sapulpa, OK:

The incredible East Meets West sculpture group in Tulsa, OK:

Part of a penguin art project around Tulsa from many years ago. This biker penguin is in front of a Harley-Davidson dealer:

A scaled-up tin toy robot at Buck Atoms Cosmic Curios in Tulsa:

A vintage moving van at Page Storage & Van Lines in Tulsa:

The Brook Theatre in Tulsa (now a restaurant):

The “Jetsons House” in Tulsa – built in 2005 based on a 1960s postcard of a house in Arizona:

A former Taco Bell with the original fire pit, tables & brickwork in Tulsa:

The Skyliner Motel in Stroud, OK:

One of many, many signs at the Stokely Event Center in Tulsa. This one was originally in Springfield, MO:

One of three recreated signs in a park in Tulsa:

Established in 1933 and still kicking in Tulsa:

A modern sign in Tulsa:

A bar (using the moved vintage sign and its name) in Tulsa:

And lastly – an adapted and restored sign in Tulsa:

For the next post, I’ll be starting on Missouri.

Happy trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

Let’s start with a couple of giant things. This bicycle is in Amarillo, TX near the Cliffside Event Center:

This giant flip flop in San Jon, NM is still under construction:

This strange rabbit man is installed in front of the Milburn-Price Culture Museum in Vega, TX. He looks big in this photo but he’s only about 3 feet tall:

Ellie the Elephant at this Empire Slice in Oklahoma City has been stolen a few times and is now inside. She was previously painted pink:

Oklahoma City has produced three Miss Americas — here they are:

This double-canopy former Conoco gas station in Edmund, OK now houses the Sunnyside Diner:

This former Magnolia gas station in Oklahoma City has housed countless things over the years. It’s currently the Margarita Garden:

The glorious, former Conoco gas station in Shamrock, TX was restored around 2003 with neon. Here’s a photo I took in 2012:

In 2014, the neon was replaced with LED tubing. I took a couple of close-ups of the ugliness on this trip (which I’m sure looks worse at night with missing bits and uneven lines):

This topper on top of the tower is missing tubing on the left and the tubing isn’t even straight:

This Coca-Cola building in Oklahoma City had stainless steel Coca-Cola letters which have been replaced with the plastic sign shown at center below. But the mid-century building itself is still incredible:

The Lincoln Plaza in Oklahoma City has been renovated as the Presley Apartments:

I happened to be in the right place at the right time on this trip to see the interior of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Oklahoma City:

This former Mr. Swiss restaurant in Oklahoma City is now a barber shop. Never heard of the chain? See my website here:
https://www.roadarch.com/eateries/aframeswiss.html

This cute plastic sign is in Oklahoma City:

This modern sign is at Pearl’s Crab Town in Oklahoma City:

This bowling alley in Amarillo, TX is still operating:

The Meridian Lanes in Oklahoma City was demolished but this sign remains:

I’m always relieved to see the former Big Giant Supermarket sign in Oklahoma City is still there. The building now houses an events center and the sign that the giant holds reads simply “Enclave”:

More Oklahoma coming soon and then it will be a Missouri marathon.

Happy trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

Some more highlights from the trek to the Midwest last month.

This single-sided “restored” sign is in Cottonwood, AZ. It originally read A. James Modern Court but they changed it to simply “James Court” a couple of years ago after they took off the ugly modern apartments panel:

This is an entirely new sign (and name) in Flagstaff, AZ created when they recently renovated a midcentury motel:

This former TraveLodge in Albuquerque, NM…:

… now houses the Hotel Zazz:

Work is still going on in Flagstaff for the Whispering Winds Motel renovation. This sign was renovated to look more like it did in the 1960s and the exterior details are being preserved:

The former Downtowner Motor Inn in Albuquerque is being renovated as Hotel Blue:

This Mexican take-out/drive-thru in Albuquerque was originally a Pup ‘n’ Taco:

Travelstead Hall at the University of Mexico in Albuquerque was built in 1963. I wish I could have gotten inside to see that incredible stained glass:

Here’s a detail from the Skydome in Flagstaff:

This Art Deco beauty in Albuquerque was built as the Salazar Mortuary and is still operating as such:

This metal sculpture in Albuquerque was installed last year:

This is just one of the dinosaurs installed at the Painted Desert Indian Center in Holbrook, AZ:

This fading kachina sign originally advertised for a souvenir shop in Holbrook. Here’s a photo I took in 2012:

and what it looks like today. The souvenir place is gone:

Back probably next weekend with some Oklahoma stuff.

Happy trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

I got back a week ago from this marathon trip and I have started working on the approximately 5,000 photos which will all go up at the website (roadarch.com) eventually. I will be posting a few photos here from each day’s shooting as I do so. I am also posting a sampling of photos over at Flickr (different photos from those shown here at the blog):

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

The focus of this trip was on Missouri and Illinois. I got all of Missouri done and all of Illinois except the Chicago area before the clock ran out (had to get back to work, my real job, that barely pays for these trips). It was a very productive trip and my van ran perfectly despite the abuse. There were only a few crappy weather days. But it was unreal hot. We begin the photos on my journey to the Midwest in the California desert and Arizona where it was over 100 degrees. I usually stop off on these trips in Cabazon, CA right off I-10 for a break and to see what the latest dinosaur paint jobs are:

The La Victoria Grocery in Blythe, CA and its pigeon friends for scale:

Surely this one in Harcuvar, AZ had neon and probably different text earlier in its life:

Also in Harcuvar (some sources/postcards say Salome though) – the former Amber Hills Motel:

This one is in Salome, AZ. Once upon a time – and note the Salome sign on the right:

and there was a cafe as well:

But I diverge… check out this old billboard in Salome which no longer exists:

The Sunset Motel sign is in Wenden, AZ:

The Saguaro Motel is in Aguila, AZ:

There’s nothing on the site yet but rocks behind The Post (former post office) but this will be the site of the Neon Garden in Mesa, AZ. This photo is of the illustration on the billboard announcing what’s to come. These signs (Watson’s Flowers, Dairy Queen, Bill Johnson’s Big Apple, and Ford) were all local and have been in the Mesa Preservation Foundation’s storage:

This sign is in Prescott, AZ:

Let’s move on to some non-signs. These two sculptures in Phoenix pay tribute to Navajo Code Talkers who served in the Marines in World War II and their language stumped the Japanese and helped win the war.

This version is more subtle symbolizing the peace that resulted from the Navajo soldiers service:

Not much progress since the 2022 announcement that the former City Center Motel project in Phoenix would become part of the EV Hotel. In fact, no signs of the development or fencing so far:

This is the plan with the giant hotel dwarfing the former motel from 1959:

This “Triangle Building” (aka Kimsey Building) in Scottsdale was built in 1962.

It was endangered but, fortunately, this building is being saved, too. The project will have a hotel, apartments, and commercial space. The building in this illustration to the left of the Triangle Building is just a dirt lot at the moment and the building that was there before did not have a folded plate canopy:

One more midcentury modern building for you. The Holy Cross Lutheran Church is also in Scottsdale:

When in Phoenix, I often stop off at Don Parks’ place to see what new statues he may have managed to cram into his two properties directly across the street from each other. I haven’t bumped into the guy yet but I understand that he has tons of other stuff in the back, behind fences, and in the houses. I wonder how the neighbors feel about this.

I’m a huge John Cerney fan and shoot his realistic, giant painted signs whenever I can. He lives in Salinas, CA so there are lots of them in central and other cities in California. But there are also commissioned painting signs in Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Florida, and elsewhere. This one is 18-feet-tall and is located in Queen Creek, AZ at Schnepf Farm. There is another one inside the farm property of a girl holding a pumpkin.

If you’re interested in seeing more of his stuff, I have a section for them here: https://www.roadarch.com/signs/cerney.html

One more sign before we go. This one is in Prescott, AZ:

We’ll be moving on to New Mexico and eastward in the next post (day #2). Stay tuned!

Happy trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

I took a second little roadtrip/roadtest to make sure all systems are go for the biggie June trip. It was supposed to be a 4-day weekend but the weather for Saturday & Sunday was for clouds & rain so I came home early. But I did cram in a bunch of shooting and will finish up with my list in August or so.

This guy is at Cameron’s Pub in Half Moon Bay:

A Michelin Man in San Jose. I’ve never seen a statue like this before:

A couple of sculptures at Point San Pablo Harbor in North Richmond:

An ice cream cone and a merman — why not — in San Bruno:

A seahorse in Seaside:

A sculpture of Seabiscuit in San Bruno:

A giant safety pin in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. Yes, there’s an identical sculpture in New Orleans. More about them at this page at my website:

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

A former Red Barn restaurant – now the Burger Barn – in San Jose:

Some Art Deco details from San Francisco:

Some mid-century modern details from Daly City:

The ILWU (International Longshoreman’s and Warehousemen’s Union) in Oakland:

This one is in Santa Cruz:

Some horribly adapted text panels but, oh, those bulbs and stars — in San Francisco:

At the First Coin Laundry in San Francisco:

From Oakland (the projecting sign, which is nicer, is being restored by Greg Smith):

A now very rare H. Salt sign in Richmond:

Nice ripple tin panels and a stuffed animal at a bar in San Bruno:

From San Jose:

And lastly — from inside the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo coffee shop:

That’s it until after the big vacay. You can follow along nightly while I’m traveling at Instagram (link below) where I’ll be posting about a dozen photos each night that were taken that day. I’ll be posting to this blog again once I get home in July and start all the photoshopping, etc.

Happy trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

I’m gearing up for the annual five-week trip in June and putting my van, laptop, and body thru the paces to make sure that we are all good to go. I’ve had Gator (my van) checked out top to bottom and, after $1500 for new AC (jeez), it should be smooth sailing. Some iffy weather during this two-day shoot with lots of grey photos but here we go.

How’s this for grey? This giant arrow is in Riverside:

Some buildings. This former International House of Pancakes in Northridge:

Buena Park High School (in Buena Park):

The San Pasqual Apartments in Pasadena:

City Hall in Carson:

A recently adapted Alta-Dena Dairy building in Tustin:

The Bay Theatre in Seal Beach undergoing restoration:

Here’s what it looked like back in 2017:

Some statues? The police & firefighter memorial in Burbank:

The Fabien Castanier Gallery in Culver City:

Lincoln in Cerritos:

Bigfoot in Silverado:

Moving on to some signs. This pair is in Seal Beach:

This sign is inside the Taco Bell headquarters in Irvine. You have to shoot from the window outside of the building since visitors are no longer allowed. I’m pretty sure this is a replica:

This one is in Lynwood:

A bunch of signs from Pasadena. This spikey thing (pigeon-proofing, I presume but evocative of crown of thorns as well):

Two different cleaning businesses:

The 35-er Club (bar):

Previously neon:

The companion pole sign — a mass-produced Coca-Cola sign (with new text panels but the original oval “thingies” with plastic contents:

Here’s a beat example from Arkansas that I shot where you can see what they really look like:

This cutie is in Los Angeles:

Also L.A. – This huge relief sculpture on the side of the L.A. Times parking garage depicts “The Evolution of Printing” by Tony Sheets in 1989:

These modern airplane signs are on top of signs for the Hanger 28 shopping center in Burbank just a few blocks from the airport:

Pioneer Chicken in Los Angeles:

Some signs at Roscoe’s Famous Deli & Bar in Fullerton:

and inside — what I believe is an Alka-Seltzer statue head:

A Superior Electrical Advertising arrow sign at Joe’s Italian Ice in Anaheim:

This post is getting pretty big so I’ll stop here. I’ll be back soon with some stuff from another roadtest trip to the Bay Area.

Happy trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

After slogging thru all those website updates, it was high time to get out and about. I had planned to take this Presidents’ three-day weekend for a San Diego & L.A. area trip but the weather forecast was crummy (and correct). So, I went last weekend and had glorious sun. I managed to get all the photos up at my website this week.

I have been to the Salton Sea a few times but never explored Bombay Beach — pretty fun. Lots of little art installations include this TV display:

Here’s a sign from the “main drag” (in this tiny town):

I missed the Drive-in but here’s a snip from Google StreetView:

I got a “fruit burrito” at Mary’s Donuts in Lakeside (a fried flour tortilla with fruit inside – I went with lemon). It was a bit overly sweet for me since I rarely eat sugary things these days:

In addition to a giant donut (posted to my Instagram account, with other photos from this mini-trip), Mary’s has a few signs:

The rooftop cow at the Country Market in Morongo Valley has been repainted. That wreath hat must still be there from Christmas:

The former Huish Family Fun Center (now Bullwinkle’s Family Fun Center) in Upland is remodeling and expanding. They plan to have bowling, axe-throwing, a bigger arcade, etc. However, I’m very sad to report that the cute little indoor storybook-themed course from 1972 will be demolished soon for those things:

It was the wrong time of day to shoot this one in San Diego — maybe next time:

The Willcockson House in Indio has been on my to-shoot list for a long time. But it was late in the day and there’s a huge church being built around it with everything fenced off on the gigantic lot. This photo was taken from about a mile away and is best I could do. Maybe when the church is done, I can get closer. Note the concrete parabolic roof:

I posted a shot of the Parkway Bowl in El Cajon over at Instagram but here are a couple of detail shots – the entrance:

And the original lockers inside:

The Mission Bay Visitors Center in San Diego has been restored since the last time I shot it:

This former Dog House restaurant sign is also in San Diego — now advertising for a pet salon and a tattoo/piercing studio. I don’t know if there was a location at this spot or if the sign was brought here from somewhere else.

The chain originated in Youngstown, OH and by the mid-1960s, there were over 220 locations in 33 states. The company went bankrupt in 1968 but there are still a handful of these signs out there. Here are a few vintage photos:

Here’s a cigar store Indian in Monrovia:

I posted a photo of the Dragon Slayer sculpture in Lake Elsinore at Instagram. Here’s a closeup of the guy standing on top of the dragon:

This building in San Diego originally housed the City Dye Works and the arrow sign had text with that name in neon. It originally rotated — I’m not sure if it still does. It has housed a Mexican restaurant since around 2011 and the plastic letters were added then. It now houses the Camino Riviera Mexican restaurant. This paint job was added around 2022:

That’s it for now. I’ll be back with another post in early April after a Central CA & Bay Area trip. Then, there will be a post after another L.A. area & Orange County trip in May. These mini trips are warm-ups for the biggie (five weeks in June/July when I’ll be in the Midwest).

Happy trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram