email: roadarch@outlook.com

Denver Signs (page 1)

(hit "refresh" to get the most recent version of this page; click on photos for larger images)

Red Pine Motel
Denver, CO
Union Station
Denver, CO
The Red Pine Motel and sign were built by 1955. [map]

The Union Station sign was installed in 1952. For more, see this website. [map]

Mozart Lounge
Denver, CO
2012: 2023:
The Mozart Lounge sign is probably from the 1950s or 1960s. By 2014, the sign was adapted for the Aqua Lounge and the neon was removed. In 2016, the sign was restored. It was repainted as it was originally and new neon was installed. For more, see this website. [map]

Apple Tree Shanty
Denver, CO
R&R Lounge
Denver, CO
This teapot-shaped sign originally advertised for the long-gone Apple Tree Shanty restaurant. The neon has been removed and the sign was repainted for The Word, a Christian bookstore. The store closed in 2014 but the sign remains and the building is still vacant. [map]

The R&R Lounge opened in the 1950s as the Coral Lounge. This sign is probably from then. The bar became the R&R Lounge in the 1970s. The sign was restored and relit in 2014. For more, see this website. [map]

La Rue Motel
Denver, CO
Olinger Mortuaries
Denver, CO
Stadium Inn
Denver, CO
The La Rue Motel was built in 1953. There was originally a rooftop sign and a smaller sign on the canopy. This sign is probably from the 1950s or 1960s. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

The Olinger Mortuaries sign was built in 1950. The mortuary is gone and, since 2011, the building has housed a restaurant known as "Linger". The name was chosen in order to make use of the rooftop sign. While the sign reads "Olinger" during the day, the "linger" in Olinger's is lit at night and the neon tubing in "Mortuaries" was reworked to read "Eaturaries". For more, see this website. [map]

The Stadium Inn opened in the early 1940s and this sign may be from then. [map]

Gennaro's
Cafe Italiano
Denver, CO
El Chapultepec
Denver, CO
715 Club
Denver, CO
Meek Trunk & Bag Company [gone]
Denver, CO
Gennaro's Cafe Italiano opened in 1951 and this sign is probably from then. This photo is from 2012. In 2016, the sign was painted tan. For more, see this website. [map]

The El Chapultepec jazz club opened in 1933. This sign is probably from the 1950s. In 2014, this sign's neon was restored. In 2020, the place closed but the sign remains. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

The long-closed 715 Club reopened in 2016. This sign is probably from the 1950s. This photo is from 2012. The sign was restored in 2016 by Seth Totten of Acme Neon Signs. For more, see this website. [map]

The Meek Trunk & Bag Company was established in 1896. At some point, a similar, modern sign was installed in its place. This older sign was then put on display in the alley behind the building. It is probably from the 1940s or 1950s. The building was vacant when this photo was taken in 2012 but this sign remained. By 2015, the sign was gone.

Johnson Storage & Moving
Denver, CO
White Horse Bar
Denver, CO
Johnson Storage & Moving was established in 1900 and is still operating. This sign looks like it might be from the 1920s. Signs from that era had beaded borders like this. However, the channel neon letters would have been added later. For more, see this website. [map]

The White Horse Bar, later the White Horse Lounge, may have opened in 1926. This sign appears to be from the 1950s. It most likely had neon and chasing bulbs originally. In 2022, the bar closed and the building was up for sale. [map]

Billy's Inn
Denver, CO
Billy's Inn opened in 1933 in a former gas station. I suspect that it was a Sinclair station. The pole sign might be from the 1950s or 1960s and, obviously, the lower panel had neon originally. The signs on the building were there by the early 1970s but the plastic faces were installed later. For more, see this website. [map]

Broadway Motel
Denver, CO
2012: 2022:
I believe the Broadway Motel was built in 1952. The arrow originally had chasing bulbs. The motel was demolished in 2017. Part of the sign was restored and is now displayed in the lobby of the apartment building which was built on the site. For more, see this website. [map]

Vienna Cleaners
Denver, CO
Dependable Cleaners [gone]
Denver, CO
The Vienna Cleaners sign appears to be from the 1950s or 1960s. [map]

Dependable Cleaners chain was established in Denver in 1930. This sign was built around 1950 for the company's biggest store and main plant on South Broadway. It was the only sign of this size or style built. That location is now primarily used as office space. The building will probably be sold and redeveloped. This photo is from 2012. In 2016, the owner decided to restore the sign and move it to the Cherry Creek location. It was refurbished by Gordon Sign which built the sign originally. The panels were repainted and new neon tubing was installed. The cost for the restoration and installation was about $15,000. The sign is approximately 15 feet long and is lit with blue, green, and white neon. It was installed in 2017. In 2020, the sign was hit by a delivery truck and damaged. The owners sold the sign to a collector in Texas.

Denver
(page 2)
CO (page 1) CO (page 2) CO (page 3) CO (page 4)
CO (page 5) CO (page 6) CO (page 7) CO (page 8) Pueblo

Main Signs Page