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Illinois Signs (page 6)

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Neal Motel [gone]
Eldorado, IL		 Wait-Ross-Allanson Funeral Service
Elgin, IL
The Neal Motel sign had been cut from its poles and was standing in front of the office when this photo was taken in 2010. The sign was still there in 2013. The motel, office and this sign were gone by 2018.

Wait-Ross-Allanson Funeral Service single-sided sign appears to be from the 1950s or 1960s. Its bricks are actually porcelain enamel panels. [map]

Colonial Lodge Motel
Elgin, IL		 Elgin Car Wash
Elgin, IL
2006: 2025: 2012: 2025:
The Colonial Lodge Motel sign was built in 1955. It is about 65 feet tall and originally revolved. The panels were painted over sometime after 2022. [map]

The Elgin Car Wash sign appears to be from the 1950s. This sign was probably built by the same company that built this one in Chicago. By 2022, the sign was painted blue. [map]

More Elgin:
Bowlway Lanes [gone]

Elizabeth:
Buick & Pontiac signs: 1, 2 [gone]
Elizabeth Banking Center

Mack's Golden
Pheasant [gone]
Elmhurst, IL		 Steven's
Steak House [gone]
Elmhurst, IL		 Reliable
Dinettes [gone]
Elmwood Park, IL		 Horwath's
Restaurant [gone]
Elmwood Park, IL
Mack's Golden Pheasant opened in 1948. This sign may be from then. The restaurant closed in 2024 and will be demolished. The sign was removed and is now in a private collection. The plastic pheasant panels were destroyed during the removal. For more, see this website.

Steven's Steak House opened in 1958. It closed around 2006 and the sign was removed in 2011.

This photo of the Reliable Dinettes sign is from 2001. The sign is gone now. A plastic box sign for Dinette World hangs in its place.

This photo of the Horwath's Restaurant sign is from 2001. The restaurant opened in 1931. The sign was built in the late 1940s. The building and sign were demolished in 2004.

Elms Restaurant
El Paso, IL		 Bennison's Bakery
Evanston, IL
The Elms Restaurant was established in 1946. It closed in 2003 and the building has been vacant since then but this sign remains. It originally read "The Elms Motel" on top with "Dining Room" below the arrow and "Air Conditioned" below that. For more, see this website. [map]

Bennison's Bakery has been here since 1938. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

More Evanston:
Scot Cleaners

Garden Cleaners [gone]
Evergreen Park, IL		 Naples Bakery
Evergreen Park, IL		 Wolf's Bakery
Evergreen Park, IL
The Garden Cleaners is still around but this sign is not. The sign was most likely built in the 1950s. In 2009, it fell from its pole during a windstorm and was destroyed. For more, see this website.

The Naples Bakery was established in 1918. The facade and sign appear to be from the 1950s. The bakery closed in 2016. The sign was removed in 2017. Barraco's restaurant expanded into the space. In 2018, a replica of the Naples Bakery sign was reinstalled on the building. A graphic display panel has replaced the readerboard. For more, see this website. [map]

Wolf's Bakery opened in 1935. When new owners took over in 1999, they had the sign repainted to its original colors. Wolf's had another location at one time. For more, see this website. [map]

American Legion
Fairfield, IL		 Elks Lodge
Fairfield, IL		 Red & White
Fairfield, IL		 Kincaid's
Fairfield, IL
The American Legion sign is probably from the 1950s. [map]

This Elks Lodge sign is probably from the 1950s. [map]

This Red & White grocery store chain was established around 1925. This store has been closed since 2008 but this sign remains. It is probably from the 1960s. [map]

Kincaid's, a hardware and home improvement store, was founded in 1918. It became part of the Do It Best chain in 2005. This sign is probably from the 1940s or 1950s. [map]

Nite Spot Cafe
Fairmont City, IL
The Nite Spot Cafe opened in 1933 in a smaller building. This sign is from the 1960s. The building has been vacant since 1984. [map]

former Bert's Chuck Wagon
Fairview Heights, IL		 Trailway Motel
Fairview Heights, IL
This Bert's Chuck Wagon was part of a chain with about 15 locations in Southern Illinois. The first location from 1963 in Collinsville had a similar sign. This Fairview Heights location was built in 1971 and never used the name "Bert's" for its business or sign. This sign originally had neon in addition to the chasing bulb wheels. The business is now known as The Chuck Wagon Mexican Food. [map]

The Trailway Motel was here by 1962 and the sign was presumably built at the same time. The arrow was originally painted blue and read "Restaurant." The backlit plastic "Motel" letters more than likely originally were neon. The star which now has LED tubes must have neon as well. For more, see this website. [map]

More Fairview Heights:
French Village Motel [gone]

Ging
Farina, IL
This Ging & Co. grain and seed company sign is installed on a grain elevator building. This sign is probably from the 1940s or 1950s. [map]

Art's Motel [gone]
Farmersville, IL
2009: 2025:
This Art's Motel sign was completely rusted in 2006. The viewable, south side of the sign was repainted in 2007 by the Route 66 Association of Illinois. In 2018, the sign was removed. One of the panels was saved and is now displayed inside the Route 66 Motorheads Bar & Grill in Springfield, IL. For more, see this website.

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