This is the sign in front of the old Florida Theatre here in Jacksonville Florida. My folks saw Elvis here live in 1956 and my mom still talks about it. The second pic is the side of the theatre from quite a distance. Off the theatre's website - 'one of the most memorable events in the theatre's history occurred in 1956, when Elvis came to the Florida Theatre for his first concert appearance on an indoor stage. Presley, the City of Jacksonville and the Florida Theatre became subjects of a LIFE Magazine feature when a Juvenile Court Judge sat through the performance to ensure that Presley's body movements would not become too suggestive.' Anytime you see specials on Elvis' life, they usually mention his trip thru Jax where he only shook his finger onstage. I saw the Brian Setzer Orchestra perform in this theatre in the late 90's. A really cool old sign and theatre.
It's awesome to see one of my favorite signs here in PHX. If that courtesy Chevy sign ever gets real damaged it would need to come down because it is to big for current zoning laws, let hope that never happens , I love old signs,and neon.
I made a deal on the load of pinball machines on our third floor and the rest of our collection of neon and big signs are going up. I can wait...I love this junk! If you get to Ohio http://www.signmuseum.com/
I had an idea to do this type of thing for a senior exhibit, and thanks to you Ryan I have been sparked to get going on it. I'll post images later tonight.
Pic that BigKen took at the Dairy-ette cruise in Dallas this past weekend. Denison Texas cruise. Watson's Drive Inn Big Dr. Pepper Mural in Jefferson, TX Last is a drive in Theater in Gatesville, TX that is still running!
Here's one of my favorites of all time. This is the neon sign of Beaman Pontiac (now Beaman auto group) in Nashville, TN. Its located on Broadway right before West End and Vanderbilt areas. The sign is from 1958 according to some sources on the web. The dealership is still very active today and even hosts shows by Pontiacs of Tennessee. 48 Poncho
Some great signs posted in the thread. We're huge fans of old signs also. Here's a few photos from the past few months.
I too am a lover of old signs. Even ones that make no sense for me to own! The three pictured here are: A Frigidaire sign I saw over the weekend I would LOVE to have (the Willys sign isn't too shabby either! vintage also) A Las Vegas style sign that reads Sassy! Perfect for the side of my barn...now where is it? And this regular sign I saw at the swap in the Turkey Run It would have been mine if my house were done and I had somewhere to put it. At the Turkey Run I also saw a really sweet giant Gateway (Mattress) lit sign. I should have probably bought it too. Great post Ryan and crew! Keep them coming!
Another incredible thread. I have been a sign guy (industrial Designer) for the last 10 years here is Las Vegas, the birthplace of large scale neon signs. Our company designs, builds, and installs all of these pieces of art, both in contemporatry form and in refurbishing the older relics. What a great pleasure to see you recognize and honor the history of our industry.
No!!! Damn it Scott, I do not work for that EVIL company....LOL (they are our largest competitor ) Check us out here: www.egad-s.com
Here is some of the stuff we do that was designed to mimic some of the older style signs for the Cannery.
DOH! Sorry man! You need to help Tred get that damn Firestone sign going! Maybe he will chime in and post a couple pics.
Yeah that is a great sign. I have looked that over a lot. I have even grabbed the parts to bring down to work to see what I could do. Pretty old stuff to try to repair, and especially not to current NEC codes for interior. That sign has exposed open back neon conductors. Not fun when touched!!! Not to metion some of the letter units are broken & trying to match that new neon with the old stuff will be impossible (as far as look). I told him we could redo it all and still keep the same feel but we will see what he wants to do. N
Definitely worth the guided tour: I'm actually a master neon bender with over 16 years in the fires. While I cut my teeth doing bullshit like Applebee's, Office Max, Arizona Ice Tea, and Target, I now specialize in large scale one-off works. And I've scoured the country for over a decade purchasing NOS bulks of obsolete glass tubing to authentically restore old neon signs correctly. Throw ALL your neon questions in this thread and I'll answer them. Couple of mine:
Wow! What a score on the Bob's sign! Just about every day I think about a bag of those cheeseburgers! Does the sign still light up?
There's a book out called GOOGIE, by Alan Hess. Its full of pictures of the fifties style signs and styling. Its one every art lover should own. Gets your mind racing.
I've got some cool pix of my Pontiac wagon under some neon Pontiac signs at the Ducktail,but dont know how to get them up.Anyone been to Wildwood New Jersey?Check out www.doowopusa.org Amazing place!
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