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California Signs (page 19)

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former Spring Garden Restaurant
Pasadena, CA
2008: 2015:
The Spring Garden Restaurant sign appears to be from the 1950s or 1960s. I believe it was the building's original occupant. In 2014, the building was stripped to the wooden skeleton and adapted for the Avanti Italian Bistro & Bar. The sign was adapted. By 2022, it was adapted again for Kalaveras Cantina Urbana. [map]

Public Storage Co.
Pasadena, CA
The Public Storage Co. was installed in 1926 as a bulb sign with the text "Standard Fireproof Storage Company. "Standard Fireproof was changed to "Bekins" in 1929. The sign was converted to neon at that time. Much later, it was adapted for A-American Storage and then later for Public Storage. The 32 foot long, double-sided sign is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [map]

Hi-Way Host Motel
Pasadena, CA		 Buca di Beppo
Pasadena, CA		 Hotel Livingstone
Pasadena, CA
The Hi-Way Host Motel sign is probably from the 1950s. It is lit at night. The edge of the sign was outlined with LED bulbs around 2019. The neon letters are still there. For more, see this website. [map]

This Buca di Beppo restaurant sign is modern. The first location opened in Minneapolis in 1993. There are about 88 locations now which, I believe, all feature this same sign. The design was probably based on the Cantina Italiana sign in Boston, MA. [map]

The Hotel Livingstone was built in 1926. The building and sign were refurbished in 2011. The other side of the sign does not incorporate the curlicue upper part of the "L" that projects from the top of the sign. This sign is probably from the 1950s. [map]

Bells & Vaughn
Pasadena, CA		 Pasada Motel
Pasadena, CA		 C&H Surplus
Pasadena, CA		 Pasadena Playhouse
Pasadena, CA		 Fedde Furniture
Pasadena, CA
Bells & Vaughn has been in the collision repair business since 1946. This sign was installed around 1955. For more, see this website. [map]

The Pasada Motel was originally known as the "Pasadia Motor Hotel." This sign is probably from the 1950s or 1960s. This photo is from 2008. Since then, the sign has been repainted and the "Motel" is now composed of plastic letters. [map]

C&H Surplus is an electronics and hobby shop. This sign was installed in 1956. The company moved to Duarte in 2008. The sign was still there in 2016. [map]

The Pasadena Playhouse sign was built in 1935. It was restored in 2020. [map]

Fedde Furniture was established in 1937. This rooftop sign was installed around 1950. For more, see this website. [map]

Zinke's Shoe Repair [gone]
Pasadena, CA		 Allied Auto Supply
Pasadena, CA
The Zinke's Shoe Repair chain was established in 1919. This sign was from 1948. This photo is from 2008. The sign was still there in 2011 but, by 2014, it was gone. There was a similar sign in Glendale, CA which is now located at the Museum of Neon Art. There was another sign in Glendale which was removed and later destroyed.

Allied Auto Supply opened here in 1952. This sign had neon originally. In 2023, the sign was adapted for a new tenant and now reads Allied Food-to-Go. [map]

Cameron's Seafood [gone]
Pasadena, CA		 Fair Oaks Pharmacy
South Pasadena, CA
Cameron's Seafood opened in 1984 and closed in 2021. The signs were saved by MONA (the Museum of Neon Art). For more, see this website.

The Fair Oaks Pharmacy opened in 1915 as the South Pasadena Pharmacy. It was known as the Raymond Pharmacy in the 1920s and 1930s. The pharmacy was restored in the early 1990s. Antique cabinetry and a soda fountain from the McGee Pharmacy in Joplin, MO were installed at that time. These neon signs are lit at night. For more, see this website. [map]

Adohr Milk Farms
Pasadena, CA
The Adohr Milk Farms sign is from the 1920s. It was discovered under a mansard roof in 2020 while the building was building restored for Howlin' Ray's restaurant. The sign was restored by by Paul Greenstein and reinstalled in 2021. For more, see this website. [map]

More Pasadena:
Orange Grove Shopping Center
Original Whistle Stop
Talbott Electric [gone]

More South Pasadena:
Gus's Barbecue

Farmhouse Motel
Paso Robles, CA		 River Lodge Motel
Paso Robles, CA		 Claassen's Radiator Service
Paso Robles, CA
The Farmhouse Motel sign appears to be from the 1950s or 1960s. [map]

The River Lodge Motel sign originally advertised for the Suburban Lodge Motel. The motel was built in 1947 and had a different sign originally. This sign was probably built in the 1960s. The sign was restored in 2023. The bottom two neon panels were recreated. The backlit plastic panel for "River Lodge" was replaced with a neon panel with script similar to the motel's original name. [map]

The Claassen's Radiator Service sign is probably from the 1940s or 1950s. [map]

Johnny's Club
Patterson, CA		 Twin Oaks Tavern
Penngrove, CA
The Johnny's Club sign appears to be from the 1940s or 1950s. [map]

The Twin Oaks Tavern opened in 1924. This sign is probably from the 1940s or 1950s. For more, see this website. [map]

Valencia Club
Penryn, CA		 Duarte's Tavern
Pescadero, CA		 Linch Jewelry
Petaluma, CA		 Buckhorn Tavern
Petaluma, CA
The Valencia Club opened in the 1930s as the Hill Top Cafe. This sign was built in the early 1950s. For more, see this website. [map]

Duarte's Tavern was established in 1894. This sign appears to be from the 1950s. For more, see this website. [map]

Linch Jewelry was established in 1947 and the sign was built then by the Barber Sign Co. The arrow at the bottom originally read "3 Hour Watch Repair Service." The business has been gone for many years. Around 2016, the sign was damaged when a truck backed into it. In 2020, the building owner had the sign restored by the Arrow Sign Co. of Oakland, CA. For more, see this website. [map]

The Buckhorn Tavern was established in 1938. The sign is probably from the 1950s. It was repainted around 2022. For more, see this website. [map]

Pinky's Pizza
Petaluma, CA
2008: 2023:
Pinky's Pizza opened in 1962. Around 2013, the sign's panels were replaced. [map]

Hatchery Restaurant
Petaluma, CA		 Mario & John's Tavern
Petaluma, CA		 7-Eleven
Petaluma, CA
The Hatchery Restaurant is gone but this sign remains. There is a mix of retail shops in the building now. Petaluma was once known as the Chicken Capital of the World. This building was originally used as a hatchery. [map]

Mario & John's Tavern opened in 1946. This sign may be from then. It was restored around 2015. This photo is from 2016. [map]

This 7-Eleven sign is probably from the 1970s. They are very rare but there are a few others in Northern California including these in San Jose, CA. [map]

J&J's RV Storage
Petaluma, CA
This trailer-shaped sign at J&J's RV Storage was installed sometime after 2021. It appears to be the work of Patrick Amiot who has created many sculptures which are displayed in the Sebastopol area. [map]

Alameda Albany -
Apple Valley		 Arcadia -
Barstow		 Bakersfield Bay Point -
Beverly Hills		 Big Bear Lake -
Bridgeport		 Buellton Buena Park -
Carpinteria
Catheys Valley -
Corona del Mar		 Cotati -
El Centro		 El Dorado -
Escondido		 Eureka -
Garden Grove		 Fresno Gilroy -
Harbor City		 Hawthorne -
Lakeport		 Hayward &
San Leandro
Lakewood -
Live Oak		 Lodi -
Lynwood		 Long Beach Los Angeles Macdoel -
Mendota		 Merced -
Monte Rio		 Monterey Park -
Oceanside		 Oakland
Ontario -
Palo Alto		 Pico Rivera -
Pomona		 Porterville -
Redondo Beach		 Redwood City -
Richmond		 Rio Nido -
Roseville		 Sacramento Salida -
San Bernardino
San Bruno -
San Luis Obispo		 San Diego Area San Francisco San Jose San Mateo -
Santa Barbara		 Santa Clara -
Santa Monica		 Santa Paula -
Stanton		 Stockton
Suisun City -
Ukiah		 Upland -
Vernon		 Victorville -
Wilmington		 Woodland -
Yuba City		 Museum of
Neon Art		 Valley Relics Museum

Main Signs Page