Vintage neon signs

[BobHufford]

The former Tower Theatre (1948 - 1996) in Springfield, MO. Now a radio station. My wife's Grandfather was the general contractor when it was built on the edge of town (now closer to the center of town).

 

[dh66]

Awesome pics Bob!

Neon signage and Mexican food.....two of my favorite things.

 

[1mach1]

Bob, great pics!!

 

[LizzieMaine]

Everybody knows the famous Citgo sign overlooking Kenmore Square in Boston, but here's the only nighttime shot I've ever seen of its predecessor, the Cities Service sign which once stood on the same rooftop.

Unlike the Citgo sign, which lights up in red and blue, the original sign lit in an oscillating pattern of green and white, with the "Cities Service" lettering alternating with the company's triangle trademark. Note also the "White Fuel" sign visible atop the Buckminster Hotel -- it had an impressive animated oil well spurting a gusher, and remained in place until the 1980s.

This shot of Kenmore Square was taken in 1940, just after the Cities Service sign was erected, showing a good view of the trusswork that held it up -- and the White Fuel sign still under construction. There's also a snazzy Howard Johnson's sign on the ground level of the Buckminster, but it's hard to see in this reduced photo. The full sized pic can be viewed here.

 

[dh66]

Nice!!

 

[1mach1]

Awesome, Lizzie!

 

[Fading Fast]

From Lizzie's post:

..."White Fuel" sign visible atop the Buckminster Hotel -- it had an impressive animated oil well spurting a gusher, and remained in place until the 1980s...

Those animated signs are a real treat - can't say I've ever seen an oil-gusher one.

 

[hatsRme]

Every time my father drove by the Buckminster, he reminded us that he was honorably discharged from the Army after WWII in an office on the second floor there. EVERY time. And I remember those young signs...

Yup, EVERY time.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I know the Buckminster for two things -- it was the spot where the plan to throw the 1919 World Series was hatched, and seventy years later it was the spot where the general manager of the radio station where I was working had to spend a very long, sleepless night after being caught in flagrante delicto by his wife.

Meanwhile, one more favorite Boston neon sign -- the "Buck Printing Co." sign that used to loom over right-center field at Fenway Park. It was actually located on a building on Ipswich Street, but it was as much a symbol of the ballpark as the left-field wall.

It was visible from the park until they put up the video scoreboard after the 1975 season, and I think the sign came down not long after that. Someone tried to convince me as a kid that "Buck Printing" was where money was manufactured, but I wasn't buying it.

Here's a view of the Buck Printing building, next to the Boston and Albany railroad tracks, circa 1963. The Mass Pike and the Prudential Center are both under construction.

 

[ChiTownScion]

It was visible from the park until they put up the video scoreboard after the 1975 season, and I think the sign came down not long after that. Someone tried to convince me as a kid that "Buck Printing" was where money was manufactured, but I wasn't buying it.

You clearly were not as gullible as my little sister. I convinced her that the Australian army had trained kangaroos to carry ammunition to the front lines in their pouches during the First World War- and after the war had them delivering mail in the outback in like manner. And...she bought it!

 

[Fading Fast]

...

...

Quick aside. How much better do baseball players look with their pants tucked into their socks like this versus today's mishmash of some out, some in? How can all-controlling MLB not enforce a uniform, well, uniform? (Rant over, we can resume our regularly scheduled programing of incredible neon signs.)

 

[LizzieMaine]

Pantlegs in baseball have gone up and down repeatedly over the years, much like women's hemlines. In the thirties, when Carl Hubbell started wearing his pants at midcalf, he was mocked as "Old Longpants," but within ten years or so, everyone was wearing them that way.

 

[1mach1]

Cross threading here. [emoji14]

 

[Bamaboots]

Awesome, Harv.

 

[dh66]

+1. That's a winner, Harv.

 

[1mach1]

Thanks guys! This area is peppered with nice old signs.

Another one. This one is in Alexandria, VA. Did some work in the apartments behind this old establishment today.

 

[dh66]

Awesome, Harv! Hope you were able to have waffles for lunch.

 

[1mach1]

Awesome, Harv! Hope you were able to have waffles for lunch.

Well, I am no fool, Dale.
They make some darn good diner food, for sure.

 

[BobHufford]

Liquor and waffles? I'm in!

On a related note:

 

[dh66]

You guys are making me hungry now.