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Richardson, Texas
Taken in 1986.
I found another vintage photo of the Como Motel sign -- not sure if this one is still there or not.
An old Pepsi sign we saw outside of the Olney store, on the way to the coast on a bike trip. The other side was more interesting and rusted, but had a parking lot for a background, so I liked this one better.
So a friend of mine is working on a project where he buys old postcards and then seeks out the current day location from the image on the postcard. As you can imagine often he would find nothing that remains as a landmark comparison, but occasionally there is a single thing that remains that in itself was the landmark.
This sign is all that remains of the original St. Elmo-tel. Get it El MOTEL?. The original sign stands on a street corner in South Austin with nothing more than a drainage ditch behind it right on a corner with a turn signal.
While he worked I fired off a couple of shots and thought it would be cool to process in a more retro way to partner the design of the signage. This was the end result...
Shot at midnight with a Nikon D5000, Tamron 28-75mm lens while firing the onboard flash.
@lifebypixels
Photo credit: Patrick Gunn/Heritage Vancouver
1154 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC, Canada
The Bowmac sign was constructed in 1958 on West Broadway, which was Vancouver's Auto Row at the time. A number of car dealers, notably the Dueck and Deely dealerships, had begun erecting a number of increasingly large signs to attract attention. The Bowmac dealership countered with a 29m (80-foot) high orange sign illuminated with red neon and hundreds of flashing light bulbs. The background was repainted to the current red and blue colours. It was the tallest structure outside of Downtown and briefly, it was the largest freestanding sign in North America. When illuminated it could be seen as far as 18 miles away. Apparently, Jimmy Patterson was pleased with his first sign which prompted him to purchase the company that built it, Neon Products.
Some of the sign's notable features include: its colossal size; its extravagant use of 1950's technology (i.e., over 1,200 incandescent light bulbs and extensive neon lighting); the characteristic 1950's letter font; and the Las Vegas style marquee base with kinetic lighting. The Bowmac sign is an icon of the era when Vancouver, because of its significant number of artistic neon signs, was referred to as the "neon capital of North America". The Bowmac sign is distinct from the other neon signs, and was a city landmark because of its size and its position on the West Broadway route.
Preservation background
In 1997, after a demolition permit had been issued, a Heritage Revitalization Agreement (HRA) was approved with retailer Toys 'R' Us, which allowed their signage to be added over the existing Bowmac sign, to what we see today.
Two key points were accomplished; the non-conforming (under the current zoning) Bowmac sign was not then demolished; and Toys 'R' Us was allowed to use signage that otherwise would not have been allowed under current zoning bylaws.
Toys 'R' Us has a 20-year lease [1997-2017] of the premises, with two consecutive renewal options of five years. Upon termination of the lease, a new HRA will have to negotiated or the sign will be demolished.
The Vancouver Heritage Commission reviewed the Sign Application SI401331 on May 5, 1997 and passed a resolution on May 9, 1997 commending Toys 'R' Us for continuing to retain the Bowmac sign. It supported its application for relaxations to the Vancouver Sign By-law.
The adaptive re-use of the Bowmac sign by Toys 'R' Us allowed the preservation in-situ of this City landmark – an important artifact from the era when Vancouver was the "neon capital of North America".
I collect photos of hand painted Greek signwriting. You never see anything like them in the UK - it's all anodyne corporate logos over here.
Unfortunately a bit hard to read in the pic. But the sign says 'Towai' left and right and 'Unpleasant grovel to ECNZ Road' if you take the turn-off.
Realised I had put the right break lever out in a crash, but didn't realize by how much until I saw this photo. Better align them again tomorrow. A couple more scrapes on the bike...
I had never been anywhere before where they give cars the right-of-way in the downtown, heavy pedestrian area. And the signs are not really at eye level.
In my opinion it makes for a pretty crappy city when pedestrians have to wait at crosswalks and dash across the street between cars.
Big Kmart #3365 (100,850 square feet)
741 East Little Creek Road, Norfolk, VA
Opened October 13th, 1976, became Big Kmart in 1997; originally Miller's Department Store (March 14th, 1963-1975)
The quality goes in before the name goes on. I remember those TV ads. Old Zenith electronics sign. On Rt. 129 in Georgia.
There's nothing like a wind chill of 12 degrees to put a damper on outdoor shooting, so this was all I could manage for today. I can't wait until spring!
A Speed limit has been placed on turtle racing at Brennan's Bar, Santa Monica.
This should enable a reduction in speed related turtle injuries
Friday night in Stillwater, MN. Car window.
The sign outside was only ten feet away - but I have no idea what it says!