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Denver Signs (page 2)

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Broadway Plaza Motel (now The Metlo)
Denver, CO
2012: 2023:
The Broadway Plaza Motel was built in 1957. The "Motel" part of this sign was originally painted in multiple colors and revolved. Two smaller panels were removed from the bottom of the sign. In 2014, the building was renovated for office space and the signs were adapted for The Metlo. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. [map]

Belmont Buckingham Apartments
Denver, CO		 Bar 404
Denver, CO		 Western Motor Inn [gone]
Denver, CO
The Belmont Buckingham Apartments were built in 1923. This sign might have been added in the 1950s. [map]

The Bar 404 sign originally had neon and bulbs. It was probably built in 1951 when the bar was known as Feld's Club 404. By 2014, the sign had been painted over when the bar began housing Brendan's Pub. In 2017, the building began housing Rory's Tavern and the sign was repainted with the new name. That business closed in 2020. In 2021, the sign was repainted for Bar 404. For more, see this website. [map]

The Western Motor Inn was built in 1965 and this sign appeared to be from then. The sign was removed in 2014. For more, see this website.

Don's Club Tavern
Denver, CO
Don's Club Tavern opened in 1947. I assume it simply known as the Club Tavern then. This sign is probably from 1974 when Don Aymami became the owner. For more, see this website. [map]

Out-Post Bar
Denver, CO
The Out-Post Bar has been here since at least the 1960s. The signs appear to be from the 1950s. The bulbs on the pole sign were originally lit sequentially. These bulb poles are rare now but there are still about a half-dozen or so left that I know of. They were usually angled upwards towards the road for maximum attention-getting. [map]

Satire Lounge
Denver, CO
The Satire Lounge sign is 21 feet tall. It was built in 1956 for Sugie's Lounge. The letters were changed in 1962 when the business became the Satire Lounge. The bulbs were originally animated but were made static in 1973 when the city changed the sign code to prohibit moving signs. In 2017, the bulbs were made to chase again after the owner successfully applied for a sign code variance. [map]

Parkway Cleaners
Denver, CO		 Dive Inn
Denver, CO
The Parkway Cleaners was originally known as Martin's One Hour Cleaners. This sign is probably from the 1950s or 1960s. The cleaners is gone but this sign remains. [map]

This cocktail glass, sign-topper is located at the Dive Inn which has been at this location since 2012. The bar housed BJ's Carousel from 1977-2011 and this sign was there then. I don't know what business was here before that but the sign is probably from the 1950s or 1960s. [map]

11th Avenue Hotel
Denver, CO		 Anchor Motel
Denver, CO		 Denver Autos
Denver, CO		 Bonnie Brae Tavern [gone?]
Denver, CO
The 11th Avenue Hotel was built in 1903. In 1937, there was a neon blade sign at this same spot on the building. That sign was probably installed in the late 1920s. Although there was a city permit for a new sign in 1948, this sign appears to be from the 1950s or 1960s. It was previously painted red with a turquoise frame. It was repainted in 2019 when the building was restored. Although the sign still reads "Hotel," the building now operates as the 11th Avenue Hostel. [map]

The Anchor Motel was built in 1955. I believe this sign is from then. For more, see this website. [map]

The Denver Autos used car lot sign was built in the 1950s for the Anson Motor Co. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. [map]

The Bonnie Brae Tavern opened in 1934 and closed in 2022. The building has been sold to a developer which will erect apartments on the site. The sign(s) were supposedly going to be displayed on the new building. They were removed by 2024. The renderings of the new development does not show the signs so they are probably gone. [map]

Campus Lounge
Denver, CO		 Town & Country Motel [gone]
Denver, CO
The Campus Lounge opened in 1949 and this sign is probably from then. For more, see this website. [map]

The Town & Country Motel was built in 1952. These signs are most likely from then. In 2020, the building was demolished. The signs were supposedly saved by the property owner. I don't know if they will be displayed elsewhere or at the new development.

Eddie Bohn Pig 'N Whistle Motel & Restaurant
Denver, CO		 The Lumber Guy
Denver, CO
2012: 2023: 2012: 2023:
This Eddie Bohn Pig 'N Whistle Motel & Restaurant was built by Eddie Bohn, a successful boxer in the early 1920s. In 1924, he opened a gas station and hamburger stand on West Colfax Ave. In 1926, the buildings were replaced with a larger station and Bar-B-Q restaurant. By the 1930s, a motor court with cottages was added. The complex was known as the Pig 'N Whistle Village. The name was borrowed from the Los Angeles restaurant which is still operating. By 1949, there was a T-shaped neon sign on the corner reading "Motor" across the top and "Hotel" vertically below. In the mid-1950s, this 50-foot-tall pole sign was installed. With the completion of Interstate 70 in the mid-1960s, business at "The Pig" began to wane. Eddie died in 1990 and the gas station, restaurant, and motel closed by the following year. The surviving restaurant building burned down in 2010. The only thing that remains of the complex is this sign. In 2015, a medical marijuana store opened on the property. In 2019, a new property owner renamed the store the Pig 'N' Whistle and funded the restoration of the sign. It was patched, sanded, and repainted on-site by Morry's Neon. The readerboard and dancing pig acrylic inserts were replicated. New neon was installed and the sign was relit in 2020. During the restoration, flashers were discovered inside the sign indicating that it was originally animated. The "H" and "M" alternated, spelling out "Hotel" and "Motel". The big, powder blue abstracted arrow was sequentially lit, pointing at the motel. Due to current city sign codes, those animated features could not be restored. For more, see this website. [map]

The Lumber Guy's sign was built around 2000. In 2014, the business closed. By 2019, the panels had been adapted for GRACE, the Globeville Riverfront Art Center. [map]

Newhouse Hotel
Denver, CO		 Big Tex
Denver, CO		 Flesher-Hinton
Music Company
Denver, CO		 Western
Hills Motel [gone]
Denver, CO		 Epworth Building
Denver, CO
The Newhouse Hotel was built in 1908 as the Hotel Hesse. Due to anti-German sentiment, it was renamed the Newhouse Hotel during World War I. This sign is believed to be from the 1940s. For more, see this website. [map]

The Big Tex sign was built in 2005 by Evan Voyles of Neon Jungle in Austin, TX for MTV's "The Real World: Austin" television show. The design was based on a vintage sign from Big Lake, TX. Since 2022, the sign has been displayed inside the Rio Grande restaurant.

Flesher-Hinton Music Company opened in 1951. This sign is probably from then. The store moved to a new location in 2015. In 2018, it was announced that the sign would be adapted for the building's new tenant, Feral Mountain Co. However, the sign still reads "Flesher-Hinton Music" in 2022. The neon and bulbs have been removed. [map]

The Western Hills Motel was built in 1955. This sign appears to be from then. There was originally a panel with horses pulling a covered wagon on top of the flat part of the sign. Since this photo from 2004 was taken, the neon "Motel" has been replaced with backlit plastic letters. In 2018, the sign was undergoing more remodeling. All of the letters are now backlit plastic. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. [map]

The Epworth Building was built in 1915. This canopy sign was probably installed then. It is made of perforated tin which is illuminated by the bulbs under the canopy. [map]

La Fiesta
Restaurant
Denver, CO		 Zion Baptist Church
Denver, CO		 KPOF
Denver, CO
The La Fiesta Restaurant opened in 1964 and this sign appears to be from then. [map]

The Zion Baptist Church was built in 1893 for the Calvary Baptist Church. It became the Zion Baptist Church in 1911. This sign might be from the 1940s or 1950s. The panels have wire mesh over plastic panels to protect the neon. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

This KPOF sign was built for the Pillar of Fire evangelical AM radio station on top of the Alma Temple. The building was constructed in 1937. These letters may have been installed then. They were definitely there by the mid-1940s. For more, see this website. [map]

Aristocrat Motor Hotel [gone]
Denver, CO

2012:
2023:
The Aristocrat Motor Hotel was built in 1964. This sign and building appear to be from then. Around 2012, the original plastic balls under the canopy were removed. Around 2017, the textured "Motor Hotel" panel was replaced with a flat one. Around 2020, the plastic ball under the text panel was removed. In 2023, the sign was removed. It is now in the Colfax Avenue Museum's storage. The building will be demolished. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.

Lake Steam Baths
Denver, CO		 Cameron Motel
Denver, CO
2012: 2023: 2012: 2023:
The Lake Steam Baths opened in 1927 and is still operating. The sign is probably from the 1950s or 1960s. By 2007 and probably much earlier, plexiglass panels had been installed to protect the neon tubing. By 2017, those ugly panels were gone. For more, see this website. [map]

The Cameron Motel was built in 1956. These signs may be from then. The text panels were originally painted light green. The main sign's support panels might have been painted with a textured brown woodgrain. By 2014, the AAA panel was painted over. In 2022, the motel was demolished for an apartment tower. The developer is supposedly saving and restoring one or both of the signs. The lot is still vacant as of 2024 but the signs remain. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

Candlelight Tavern
Denver, CO		 Duffy's Cherry Cricket
Denver, CO
The Candlelight Tavern sign is probably from the 1950s. The sign was restored in 2013. These photos are from 2023. For more, see this website. [map]

Duffy's Cherry Cricket opened in 1945 as Mary Zimmerman's Bar. The bar moved to this location in 1950. In 1965, it was renamed Duffy's Cherry Cricket and the sign was built then. The top part of the sign revolves or at least it did originally. It is now known as the Cherry Cricket Restaurant but the sign remains the same. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

More Denver:
Ahwahnee Motel [vintage; gone]
Benjamin Moore Paints
Bonnie Brae Ice Cream
Brentwood Center
Bungalow Liquors [map]
Colonial Manor Motel: 1, 2 [gone]
Crown Lanes
Dutch Boy Donuts [gone]
Horizon Lounge
Jonas Brothers Furs
Leetsdale Liquors [map]
Lion's Lair
Music Bar [gone]
Olin Hotel [map]
Pagliacci's [gone]
Pete's Kitchen
Royal Host Motel: 1, 2 [gone]
Shepherds Motel
Taco House
University Hills Plaza
Westcraft Carpets

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