Holiday Inn Great Sign - Galesburg, Illinois - October 1987
The old Holiday Inn "Great Sign" may be one of the most distinctive corporate signs and logos ever created.
It was originally designed in 1952 and stood about 50 feet high. According to the autobiography of Holiday Inn founder Kemmons Wilson, Jr., it was constructed of 1500 feet of neon tubing, 500 light bulbs, and 10,000 pounds of steel (but see the comments below). The combination of green and yellow were the favorite colors of Wilson's mother, The company began replacing the Great Signs on its properties around the world in 1982 when it came up with a much simpler logo design and more energy-efficient, lower-maintenance sign configuration. This particular sign in Galesburg may have been among the last Great Signs to exist.
I took this image on slide film back in October 1987, just a few months before this property left the Holiday Inn system and the sign was dismantled. The Holiday Inn of Galesburg was built around 1963 and left the system ca. 1988. Whatever happened to the band "Impulse" after they rocked the motel's "Razzle's Lounge" remains a mystery, however.
Apologies for the image quality -- it was cloudy and dreary that day, I was an even worse photographer back then, and I've still yet to master the art of scanning 35mm slides!
Holiday Inn Great Sign - Galesburg, Illinois - October 1987
The old Holiday Inn "Great Sign" may be one of the most distinctive corporate signs and logos ever created.
It was originally designed in 1952 and stood about 50 feet high. According to the autobiography of Holiday Inn founder Kemmons Wilson, Jr., it was constructed of 1500 feet of neon tubing, 500 light bulbs, and 10,000 pounds of steel (but see the comments below). The combination of green and yellow were the favorite colors of Wilson's mother, The company began replacing the Great Signs on its properties around the world in 1982 when it came up with a much simpler logo design and more energy-efficient, lower-maintenance sign configuration. This particular sign in Galesburg may have been among the last Great Signs to exist.
I took this image on slide film back in October 1987, just a few months before this property left the Holiday Inn system and the sign was dismantled. The Holiday Inn of Galesburg was built around 1963 and left the system ca. 1988. Whatever happened to the band "Impulse" after they rocked the motel's "Razzle's Lounge" remains a mystery, however.
Apologies for the image quality -- it was cloudy and dreary that day, I was an even worse photographer back then, and I've still yet to master the art of scanning 35mm slides!