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Utah Signs (page 3)

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Starlite Motel
Orderville, UT
Parkway Motel
Orderville, UT
This neon star is installed above a plastic sign at the Starlite Motel. There was probably a neon panel sign below it originally. [map]

The Parkway Motel sign appears to be from the 1950s. The sign has been painted orange and light blue in the past. I don't know the original color(s). [map]

Orem:
Hillcrest Motel [gone]
Miracle Bowl

Blue Pine Motel
Panguitch, UT
Bryce Canyon Motel
Panguitch, UT
Canyon Lodge
Panguitch, UT
The Blue Pine Motel was built around 1950. The sign on the building may be from then. The pole sign had been a plastic box panel for many years. Around 2022, this neon sign with a graphic display box was installed. For more, see this website. [map]

The Bryce Canyon Motel sign is probably from the 1950s or 1960s. The backlit, domed plastic panels on the sign pole panels conceal the original holes. For more, see this website. [map]

The Canyon Lodge was built in the 1950s and this sign is most likely from then. For more, see this website. [map]

More Panguitch:
Flying M Cafe
Purple Sage Motel [map]

Ace Motel
Parowan, UT
Maddox Ranch House
Perry, UT
Silver Dollar Sports Club
Price, UT
The Ace Motel was built in 1947. This sign appears to be from the 1950s or 1960s. [map]

The Maddox Ranch House restaurant opened in 1949. The revolving sign was built sometime after 1951. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. [map]

The Silver Dollar Sports Club has had an ongoing issue for years with the coin part of the sign. It probably had painted faces originally. The adhesive vinyl faces which are there now are prone to fading and peeling. The text part of the sign does not appear to be original. There are holes on the ledge where the letters are installed indicating that there was neon here originally. Does anyone know when the Silver Dollar opened or what was here previously? For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

More Price:
Century Cafe (Price) [gone]

Ream's
Food Store [gone]
Provo, UT
B&H Pharmacy
Provo, UT
Ream's Food Stores opened this Provo store as its first location in 1944. This was their original sign. This store closed around 2010 and the sign was removed. The Scotsman icon was meant to represent a thrifty person. The character intentionally resembled the store's owner. At some locations, he held a bag of money representing the savings you might realize by shopping at Ream's. The chain is now using a farmland scene in their newer signs. Ream's now has 11 locations in Utah. However, none of the stores' vintage signs survive. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3.

The B&H Pharmacy opened in 1913. These signs are probably from the 1940s and/or 1950s. For more, see this website. [map]

AAA Lakeside Storage
Provo, UT
AAA Lakeside Storage & Museum has a huge collection of vintage gas station signs, pumps, and other things. For more, see this website. [map]

Sacco's Produce
Roy, UT
Dresswell Cleaners
Roy, UT
Sacco's Produce opened in 1969. This sign must be from then. [map]

The Dresswell Cleaners sign might be from the 1950s or 1960s. Around 2021, the neon was removed from the letters and the building was repainted purple. [map]

Salina:
Salina Lumber Co.

Smithfield:
Smithfield Implement Co.

Memorial Art Monuments Company
Springville, UT
Mollie's Diner
Snowville, UT
The Memorial Art Monuments Company was established in 1941 and this sign might be from then. [map]

Mollie's Diner opened in the 1940s. This sign may have been built then or it may have been adapted from the former restaurant that was located here. There was previously a star with bulbs on the pole above the sign. [map]

Sands Motel
St. George, UT
McArthur Jewelers
St. George, UT
The Sands Motel was built in 1956 as the Sleepy Hollow Motel and this sign was probably installed then. The wording on the sign was changed when the motel name was changed. The sign's design may have been based on a similar motel sign in Kanab, UT. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

This revolving, diamond sign is installed on the roof of McArthur Jewelers. The business was established in 1950. [map]

More St. George:
Colonial Motel [vintage; gone]
Dixie Bowl
Dixie Palm Motel [gone]
Dixie Photo Shop
Larsen's Frostop
Western Safari Motel [vintage; gone]

Altitude Cycle
Vernal, UT
Lazy K Ranch Motel
Vernal, UT
The Altitude Cycle sign originally advertised for the Ute Indian Trading Post. The sign was adapted around 2001. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

The Lazy K Ranch Motel sign is probably from the 1950s. It originally had a waving cowboy and a welcome sign at its base. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

More Vernal:
Dinah Bowl [gone]
Polar King [vintage; gone]
Vernal Drug Co. [vintage; gone]

Kitty Pappas Steakhouse [gone]
Woods Cross, UT
2008: 2014:
The Kitty Pappas Steakhouse opened in 1947 as Johnny Pappas Steak House. This sign appears to be from the 1960s. In 1981, the restaurant was renamed Kitty Pappas Steakhouse. The restaurant closed in 2021 and the building will be demolished. The sign was removed in 2022. It will be installed in a customer's backyard and be visible from Woods Cross City Hall. For more, see this website.

Master Muffler
Main St.
Salt Lake City, UT
Master Muffler
State St.
Salt Lake City, UT

Master Muffler [gone]
Kearns, UT
Master Muffler
Clearfield, UT
Master Muffler
Murray, UT

Master Muffler [gone]
Layton, UT
Master Muffler
Brigham City, UT
Master Muffler [gone]
Ogden, UT
Master Muffler
Ogden, UT

Master Muffler
West Valley City, UT
Mr. Muffler
Salt Lake City, UT
The Master Muffler chain was founded in Ogden, Utah in 1963 by Ed Summers. There are now more than 20 locations in Utah and Idaho. There were previously a couple of locations in Wyoming. The company's original signs had two large "M"s and did not have neon. Summers designed the figural sign of a man holding a shock absorber in one hand and a muffler in the other. The character's chest is also shaped like a muffler. The original sign was produced by the Marveon Sign Co. in Ogden. It is not clear if Marveon made the other signs or if YESCO produced them. About 22 of them were made between 1967 and 1978. There are only six of these signs left.

It is believed that all the approximately 15-foot-tall figure panels were outlined with neon. However, none of them are lit anymore. None of the uplifted muffler panels revolve as they did originally.

The first location, shown above in the middle of the third row, is gone now. That sign had the character holding a muffler rather than supporting a revolving muffler-shaped box sign. He did not have a shock absorber in his other hand like these other signs.

The Main St. location in Salt Lake City still has the sign on the side of the building. However, the figure on top of the pole sign is gone now. That sign is shown in the first photo above which was taken in 2006. [map]

The State St. location supposedly has the biggest of these signs. [map]

In 2017, the Layton sign was removed and replaced with a new sign without neon. The original sign was scrapped.

The Kearns sign was removed in 2022.

[Clearfield map]; [Murray map]; [Brigham City map]; [Ogden map]; [West Valley City map]

The last photo above shows the sign at Mr. Muffler. This location opened as a Master Muffler location around 1977 but after only about six months, it became Mr. Muffler. This sign was built by Master Muffler. I don't believe that any others were built like this or, if there were any, none have survived. [map]

More Utah:
Rexall Drug Stores (various cities)

Books:
Vintage Signs of Utah, Lisa Michelle Church, Relentless History, 2022

Utah (page 1) Utah (page 2) Ogden Salt Lake City

Main Signs Page