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Scaffold Signs (page 3)

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Havenscourt
Colonial
Church
Oakland, CA		 Richmond Municipal Natatorium
Richmond, CA
The Havenscourt Colonial Church sign tower is installed behind a traditional looking small church. The "Jesus Saves" letters might be from the 1950s. For more, see this website. [map]

The Richmond Municipal Natatorium, aka The Plunge, was built in 1926. It closed in 2001 and reopened in 2010. The original sign was installed in the late 1920s. It was later converted to neon. No one knows what became of that sign. Much later, there was a Richmond Plunge sign installed on the roof. That sign was removed around 1977. This sign, which was installed in 2010, is a replica of the original. For more, see this website. [map]

Hotel St. James
San Diego, CA		 El Cortez Hotel
San Diego, CA
The Hotel St. James was built in 1913. This rooftop sign is supposedly from the 1940s or 1950s. However, I believe it is either much older than that or a replica of the original sign. Early illustrations show a rooftop sign just like this. The hotel is now known as the Ramada Gaslamp Hotel. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

The El Cortez Hotel was built from 1926-1927. This sign was added in 1937. The letters are 12 feet tall. The "HOTEL" letters were removed at some point. The sign was restored in 1999. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building has been converted into the El Cortez Condominiums. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

Huntington Hotel
San Francisco, CA		 Palace Hotel
San Francisco, CA
The Huntington Hotel was built in 1922 as the Huntington Apartments. It was converted into a hotel in 1924. Since 2014, it has been known as the Scarlet Huntington. I can't find any vintage photos to indicate when the rooftop sign was first installed. It might be from the late 1920s. For more, see this website. [map]

The Palace Hotel opened in 1909. By the late 1920s, there was a rooftop scaffold sign reading "Palace Hotel". I don't know if that sign was lit with neon or electric bulbs. In 1954, the hotel became the Sheraton-Palace Hotel and a new sign was installed on the roof. In 1995, the Sheraton name was dropped. I assume that today's two identical, rooftop signs are from then. In 2024, the neon was replaced with LED tubing. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

Ghirardelli Chocolate Company
San Francisco, CA
The Ghirardelli Chocolate Company was founded in San Francisco in 1852. This sign, with its 19-foot-tall letters, was installed on the roof of their factory in 1915. It was double-sided until 1964. Red and green bulbs are installed in the letter "G" during the Christmas season. In 2020, the letters were removed and replaced with aluminum letters with LED bulbs. The original "G" is now displayed inside. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

Baker & Hamilton
San Francisco, CA		 Don Hotel
Wilmington, CA
The Baker & Hamilton sign was built sometime between 1948 and 1956. The letters are about 13 feet tall. The letters at the bottom read "Since 1849." I don't know if the sign was ever illuminated. In 2023, during renovation of the 1905 building, the sign's letters were replaced with new powder-coated, aluminum versions. Baker & Hamilton was a mining supply and hardware company. This building housed their offices and store. [map]

The Don Hotel was built in 1929. This sign has been there since at least the late 1940s. Since 1999, the building has housed the Don Senior Apartments. [map]

More California:
Motel Tahiti Inn (Costa Mesa) [vintage; gone]
Helms Bakery Building (Culver City)
Fox Theatre (Fullerton)
Seeley's Furniture (Glendale)
Grand Lake Theatre (Oakland)
Hill Castle Apartments (Oakland)
Plaza Hotel (San Diego)
Hotel Sainte Claire (San Jose)
Litchfield's (San Rafael)

Buffalo Lodge
Colorado Springs, CO		 Herman's Plumbing
Colorado Springs, CO
The Buffalo Lodge opened in the 1920s or early 1930s. I believe this rooftop sign was there by the 1940s. By the 1950s, there was also a scaffold entrance sign. Since 2016, the building has housed the Buffalo Lodge Bicycle Resort. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, and 4. [map] Herman's Plumbing was established in 1954 and this sign might be from then. The sign probably had neon originally. It now has LED rope. [map]

Jonas Brothers Furs
Denver, CO		 Benjamin Moore Paints
Denver, CO		 Trinidad
Trinidad, CO
The Jonas Brothers Furs rooftop, single-sided neon sign was built in the late 1920s. The building itself is from 1923 and housed the taxidermy and fur store. The building now houses a nightclub. For more, see this website. [map]

This Benjamin Moore Paints sign is located at the former paint factory building. The building was constructed in 1921. Other sources say it was built in 1933. This sign was probably installed on the roof from the beginning. It was originally a bulb sign. The City of Denver has recognized the sign as a landmark. In 2005, the building was converted into lofts and commercial space and the sign remained. In 2023, the neon sign was removed and scrapped. It was replaced with new panels and LED tubing. For more, see this website. [map]

The Trinidad sign was installed on a hill known as Simpson's Rest overlooking the city by the 1920s. For more, see this website. [map]

More Colorado:
Union Station (Denver)
Wonder Bread/Home Pride (Denver)
Riviera Supper Club (Glenwood Springs)

Hi-Ho Motel
Fairfield, CT		 Dolle's Candyland
Rehoboth Beach, DE
The Hi-Ho Motel opened in the 1940s. This photo is from 2009. In 2017, the sign was removed. The wording was changed to "Hotel Hi-Ho" and the neon replaced with red, backlit plastic letters. The top and bottom text panels are now just white strips. The curved panel at the top is gone. [map]

Dolle's Candyland sold saltwater taffy, other candies and chocolates at this Boardwalk location. The company had been at this location since 1927. The store and sign were rebuilt in 1963 after a devastating storm the previous year. This photo is from 2001. It was damaged again by winds in 2000 and replaced again in 2002. The sign's letters were repainted at the start of each season. In 2020, the store moved to a new location where the sign cannot be displayed. The sign was removed in 2022 and is now displayed on the Rehoboth Beach Museum building. [map]

More Connecticut:
Secondi Bros. (Milford)
Stevens Ford (Milford) [gone]

Merita Bread [gone]
Orlando, FL		 Orange Grove Motel
Miami, FL		 Robert's Drugs [gone]
Miami, FL
The Merita Bread sign originally had a round clock with hands rather than this digital display. It also read "Bread & Cake". This sign was erected in the early 1960s next to I-4 which had just been built. With the demise of Hostess Foods in 2012, this sign remained but was no longer lit. In 2014, the sign was moved to the Morse Museum of American Art.

The Orange Grove Motel was built in 1950. There was originally a neon panel single-pole sign installed. There are now backlit, modern plastic panels on that sign. This sign must have been added in the 1950s or 1960s. [map]

Robert's Drugs had been established by the early 1950s. I believe this was their first location. The sign was probably installed in the 1950s. This photo is from 2005. By 2007, the sign was gone. The business is also gone now, too.

Hotel Variety
Miami Beach, FL		 Cuesta-Rey Cigars
Tampa, FL
The modern Hotel Variety sign was installed in 2020. The general design was based on a vintage sign which was installed on the roof for the Hotel Mayflower. [map]

The Cuesta-Rey Cigars sign is installed on the roof of the J.C. Newman Cigar Company's factory. Cuesta-Rey Cigars date back to 1884. Around 1958, Newman bought out Cuesta-Rey and moved production to this building. This sign was supposedly installed a few years later. For more, see this website. [map]

Overseas Liquor & Lounge
Marathon, FL
2009: 2020:
The Overseas Liquor & Lounge building was originally part of the Overseas Lodge with a restaurant and motel rooms. Around 2017, the neon was replaced with LED tubing. [map]

More Florida:
Mora's Liquor (Miami)
Walgreens (Miami)
International Inn (Miami Beach)
London House (Miami Beach)
Pilot House (Miami Springs) [gone]
Hotel Floridan (Tampa)

Coca-Cola
Atlanta, GA
This neon Coca-Cola sign was built to be viewed from I-85. Does anyone know how long it has been here? [map]

Goody's Kodak
Atlanta, GA
The Goody's Kodak business is long gone but this double-sided sign remains. The sign was installed by Star Photo in 1951. The building has been vacant for many years. [map]

Biltmore Hotel
Atlanta, GA
The Biltmore Hotel opened in 1924. The two radio towers were used from 1925-1929 by the WSB-AM station which broadcast from the top floor of the building. Initially, there were wires between the two towers. In 1929, the station began using a larger, suburban transmitter. WSB-AM left the building in 1956. The letters on the towers originally faced west and south. In 1999, the letters were restored, turned facing west, the missing letters replicated, and the neon relit. The building now houses apartments. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

More Atlanta:
Hotel Clermont

Graniteville Company
Augusta, GA
The Enterprise Mill, a textile mill dating back to the late 1800s, was purchased by the Graniteville Company in 1923. A rooftop sign was installed then. It was probably an electric bulb sign then. The mill closed in 1983. In 1997, the buildings were renovated for residential and retail use. This sign was restored then. [map]

Scaffold Signs
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Scaffold Signs
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Main SCA Article
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