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California Signs (page 31)

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Desert Motors
Victorville, CA		 New Corral Motel
Victorville, CA
The Desert Motors sign is probably from the 1950s or 1960s. By 2018, the neon was removed and there was a different used car dealership on the lot and the panels were partially covered with a new name in a vinyl tarp. [map]

The New Corral Motel was built in 1947. This sign may be from then. The horse on the sign was originally a reddish brown and the text panel was brown. [map]

Town Center
Pharmacy
Visalia, CA		 Visalia Tea Garden
Visalia, CA
The Town Center Pharmacy opened in 1964. This sign appears to be from then. [map]

The Visalia Tea Garden was established in 1922. It moved to this location in 1936. This sign is probably from the 1950s. The restaurant closed in 2019. It's not known what will become of the sign. [map]

More Visalia Signs:
Mearle's Drive-in
Taylor Brothers Hot Dogs

Ryde Hotel
Walnut Grove, CA		 Ben's Drugs
Walnut Grove, CA
The Ryde Hotel was built in 1927. This sign appears to be from the 1940s or 1950s. For more, see this website. [map]

Ben's Drugs was founded in 1907. The store is gone but this sign remains. It was probably built in the 1940s or 1950s. There is another Ben's Drugs sign around the corner which might be from the 1930s. [map]

Tony's Place
Walnut Grove, CA
The Tony's Place sign appears to be from at least the 1950s. For more, see this website. [map]

Van's Shoes
Watsonville, CA		 May Way
Shopping Center
Watsonville, CA		 Hi-Lo Motel
Weed, CA		 Townhouse Motel [gone]
Weed, CA
The main sign at Van's Shoes is probably from the 1950s. Red Goose Shoes signs were mass-produced but I have not seen one like this before. It is also very unusual to see three different shoe brands (Red Goose, Friedman-Shelby and John C. Roberts) advertised on the same sign. The shoe-shaped sign below that one is probably older. Although it's painted over, you can still make out the word "Renewing" on it. [map]

The May Way Shopping Center was built around 1951. This sign is probably from then. [map]

The Hi-Lo Motel was built as the Rest Motor Coach. It became the Hi-Lo Motel in 1951. This sign is probably from then. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

The Townhouse Motel sign was previously painted red. In 2018, this sign was replaced with a plastic box sign. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.

More Watsonville Signs:
Taylor Brothers Hot Dogs

Weaverville Signs:
Diggin's Tavern

Eastland Center
West Covina, CA		 Reynolds
Buick [gone]
West Covina, CA		 Clippinger Chevrolet
West Covina, CA
Eastland Center was built in 1957 as the Eastland Shopping Center, an outdoor mall. This towering sign is not the same style as the neon original. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

Reynolds Buick has been around since 1915. The dealership moved to its current location in 1965. This sign was probably from then. The dealership was updated in 2015 and this sign was removed. For more, see this website.

Clippinger Chevrolet was established in 1921. The dealership closed around 2008. These signs were still on the lot when these photos were taken in 2013. The signs appeared to be from the 1950s. The "Chevrolet" part of the sign on the left originally revolved. By 2015, used cars were back on the lot. The Chevrolet panels had been removed but the Clippinger sign was still there. The "Trucks" sign, shown on the right, was gone. [map]

Party Snacks Liquor
Whittier, CA		 Hammerford Construction
Whittier, CA
Party Snacks Liquor opened in 1965. This sign is probably from then. [map]

Hammerford Construction had been here since 1960. This giant hammer sign is probably from that time. This photo was taken in 2008. By 2010, the sign had been repurposed for other businesses. The second photo above is from 2012. [map]

Twin Palms Village
Whittier, CA		 Merle West Carpet [gone]
Whittier, CA
The Twin Palms Village is a small shopping center with two identical signs. They are probably from the 1950s or 1960s. For more, see this website. [map]

Merle West Carpet was established in 1934. There were at least a half-dozen locations in Southern California but they have all closed now. This sign was probably built in the 1950s. In 2019, it was removed and saved by the Valley Relics Museum in Van Nuys, CA.

More Whittier Signs:
Jack's Whittier Restaurant

Traveler's Motel [gone]
Williams, CA
This photo of the Traveler's Motel sign is from 2008. By 2012, it was replaced with a backlit plastic sign. For more, see this website.

Welcome Arch
Willits, CA
This Welcome Arch originally stood in Reno, NV. It was built in 1963. Reno replaced that sign with another one in 1987. The sign was donated to Willits, CA. It was reworked and installed in Willits in 1995. The spear-like sign poles also came from Reno. The sign now reads "Gateway to the Redwoods" on one side and "Heart of Mendocino County" on the other. [map]

Hotel Van
Willits, CA		 Lark Motel [gone]
Willits, CA		 Willows Hardware
Willows, CA
The Hotel Van was built in 1924. This sign is probably from the late 1940s or 1950s. [map]

This photo of the Lark Motel sign was taken in 2008. In 2015, the sign was removed and scrapped. For more, see this website.

Willows Hardware opened in 1959. This sign is probably from then. [map]

More Willits Signs:
Al's Redwood Room
Pepperwood Motel

shoe repair
Wilmington, CA

This shoe repair sign is probably from the 1920s or 1930s. The shoe store is long gone. It was probably backlit with opal glass originally. The panels are made from ripple tin. These photos are from 2014. The sign was repainted sometime after this 2010 photo. [map]

More Wilmington Signs:
Don Hotel

Alameda Albany -
Apple Valley		 Arcadia -
Barstow		 Bakersfield Bay Point -
Beverly Hills		 Big Bear Lake -
Bridgeport		 Buellton Buena Park -
Carpinteria
Catheys Valley -
Costa Mesa		 Cotati -
El Centro		 El Dorado -
Escondido		 Eureka -
Garden Grove		 Fresno Gilroy -
Happy Camp		 Hawthorne -
Lakehead		 Hayward &
San Leandro
Lakewood -
Lindsay		 Lodi -
Lone Pine		 Long Beach Los Angeles Madera -
Mendota		 Merced -
Monterey		 Morgan Hill -
Oceanside		 Oakland
Ontario -
Palo Alto		 Pasadena -
Petaluma		 Pico Rivera -
Pomona		 Porterville -
Redondo Beach		 Redwood City -
Richmond		 Rio Vista -
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 -
St. Helena		 Stockton
Sun Valley -
Ukiah		 Upland -
Vernon		 Woodland -
Yuba City		 Museum of
Neon Art		 Valley Relics Museum

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