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email: roadarch@outlook.com |
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| Virginia Signs (page 1) |
(hit "refresh" to get the most recent version of this page; click on photos for larger images)
| Dixie Pottery [gone] Abingdon, VA |
Alpine Motel Abingdon, VA |
Hi-Lo Drive-Thru [gone] Abingdon, VA |
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The Dixie Pottery store and sign are from 1957. The store closed in 2008. This photo is from 2011. The sign was removed in 2020.
The Alpine Motel and sign were built in 1963. Sometime after 2008, the sign was remodeled. The corrugated plastic panels were replaced and the poles are either covered or gone. The first photo is from 2003, the second from 2011. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map] The Hi-Lo Drive-Thru and sign are from 1956. The first photo is from 2007. In 2010, the remaining neon was removed and the sign was repainted (second photo). The paint was in bad shape again by 2018 and the business closed. There's now a marijuana dispensary there and this sign is gone. |
| Majestic Cafe Alexandria, VA |
Bob Peck Chevrolet [gone] Arlington, VA |
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The Majestic Cafe opened in 1932. It moved to this location in 1949. The restaurant closed in 1978 and remained vacant until 2001. It was then remodeled and reopened, using the same name. Replica signs were installed at that time. This photo is from 2010. [map]
Bob Peck Chevrolet's used car lot featured a couple of old signs when these photos were taken in 2005. Bob Peck's new car showroom was built in 1964 and later demolished. I suspect these signs were installed around then. However, the old showroom was sold in 2006 and these signs were removed by 2007. |
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More Alexandria:
Virginia Lodge Altavista:
Blacksburg:
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| Cotton's Drive-in [gone] Bluefield, VA |
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| Cotton's Drive-in opened in the early 1950s and this sign appeared to be from then. It later became Cotton's Place. The building now houses a BBQ restaurant. The projecting sign was gone by 2022. The Cotton's letters are still on the building. |
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Bowling Green:
Tinder's Jewelers |
| National Fabrics [gone] Bristol, VA |
Jewel Box [gone] Bristol, VA |
Pendleton's Jewelry [gone] Bristol, VA |
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The National Fabrics store is gone and the building has been vacant for many years. This photo is from 2011. The sign was still there in 2013. By 2015, the neon had been removed and the panels had been painted over for West State Antiques. By 2024, the sign was gone.
The Jewel Box opened around 1939. The storefront was renovated in the 1950s and this sign was installed then. This photo is from 2003. By 2011, the store had closed and the sign has been covered up. For more, see this website. [map] Pendleton's Jewelry had been here since around 1940. The store closed in 2010 and this sign was gone by 2012. |
| Evergreen Motor Court Bristol, VA |
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| The Evergreen Motor Court has been here since at least 1956. The sign has been changed since then. By 2018, the name on the sign had been changed to the Evergreen Inn. The neon was restored. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map] |
| Helms Candy Co. Bristol, VA |
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| Helms Candy Co. was founded in 1909. This sign is probably from the 1950s. The company is known for its soft sugar stick candy in various flavors and five-pound peppermint sticks. [map] |
| Old Bakery Place Bristol, VA |
House of Rossoff Drapery Bristol, VA |
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The Old Bakery Place shopping center was built in 2000 and this sign must be from then. The property was previously used by a Kerns Bakery. [map]
I believe the long-closed House of Rossoff Drapery store opened in 1955. This sign might be from then. The store moved a couple of times and, apparently, the sign moved with the business. [map] |
| Rainbow Autel Bristol, VA |
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| The Rainbow Autel was located in Chilhowie, VA. "Autel" refers to an auto motel. In 2010, this sign was saved and moved to R.C.'s Storage where it was restored. However, the paint has not aged well. [map] |
| Robert E. Lee Motel Abingdon, VA (now Bristol, VA) 2003: |
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| The Robert E. Lee Motel was built in the early 1940s. The 35-foot-tall sign which towered over the motel was installed by the early 1950s. The motel officially closed in 1996 but neither it nor the sign had been maintained for decades. The County deemed the dilapidated building beyond repair and had it demolished in 2009. Ron Counts, the owner of RC's Storage, stepped forward to give the sign a new home in Bristol. Counts had the sign moved about a half mile down the Lee Highway to his self-storage business. Although he did much of the painting himself, Counts still spent about $10,000 to move the sign and restore it. Great effort was spent to match the turquoise and white colors of a 1950s postcard and the underlying paint. The original horizontal stripe that had long been missing was added. A local artist, D.R. Mullins, was hired to repaint the portrait of General Lee. There are no plans to replace the sign's neon. The original sign had a piece below the main horizontal portion of the sign that read "Restaurant". That piece was probably removed and destroyed when the restaurant closed. The second floor of this motel was used as one of the earliest Kentucky Fried Chicken franchises until around 1954. [map] |
| Summit Drive-in Bristol, VA |
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| The Summit Drive-in sign was originally installed in Glade Springs, VA. The drive-in theatre opened in 1953 and this sign is probably from then. The drive-in closed in 1986. It has been displayed since at least 2012 at RC's Storage with the Rainbow Autel and Robert E. Lee Motel signs. [map] |
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More Bristol:
Bristol Slogan Sign Buchanan:
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| Cape Motel Cape Charles, VA |
Lucky 7 Market Charlottesville, VA |
Lays Hardware Coeburn, VA |
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The Cape Motel and sign are from the 1950s. This photo is from 2001. Sometime after 2015, the sign had been painted a lighter green and red. [map]
The Lucky 7 Market and sign are from the 1960s. [map] Lays Hardware is also gone but the sign remains. [map] |
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More Charlottesville:
Foods of All Nations [gone] Cloverdale:
More Coeburn:
Colonial Beach:
Crewe:
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Virginia (page 2) |
Virginia (page 3) |
Virginia (page 4) |
| Main Signs Page |
| RoadsideArchitecture.com |
Copyright. All photos at this website are copyrighted and may only be used with my consent. This includes posting them at Facebook, Pinterest, blogs, other websites, personal use, etc. Tips & Updates. If you have suggestions about places that I haven't covered, historical info, or updates about places/things that have been remodeled or removed, I'd love to hear from you: roadarch@outlook.com. |