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Scaffold Signs (page 4)

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Coca-Cola
Atlanta, GA
This neon Coca-Cola sign was built to be viewed from I-85. Does anyone know how long it has been here? [map]

Goody's Kodak
Atlanta, GA
The Goody's Kodak business is long gone but this double-sided sign remains. The sign was installed by Star Photo in 1951. The building has been vacant for many years. In 2024, there was a major fire. It is not yet known if the building can be saved or what might happen with the sign. [map]

Biltmore Hotel
Atlanta, GA
The Biltmore Hotel opened in 1924. The two radio towers were used from 1925-1929 by the WSB-AM station which broadcast from the top floor of the building. Initially, there were wires between the two towers. In 1929, the station began using a larger, suburban transmitter. WSB-AM left the building in 1956. The letters on the towers originally faced west and south. In 1999, the letters were restored, turned facing west, the missing letters replicated, and the neon relit. The building now houses apartments. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

More Atlanta:
Hotel Clermont

Graniteville Company
Augusta, GA
The Enterprise Mill, a textile mill dating back to the late 1800s, was purchased by the Graniteville Company in 1923. A rooftop sign was installed then. It was probably an electric bulb sign then. The mill closed in 1983. In 1997, the buildings were renovated for residential and retail use. This sign was restored then. [map]

Quaker Oats
Cedar Rapids, IA		 Keokuk Plant
Keokuk, IA
Quaker Oats has been producing cereal here since 1873. I don't know how old this rooftop sign is. In 2021, after damaged from winds, the neon letters were replaced with LED versions. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

The Keokuk Plant was built from 1910-1913. This sign may not have been installed until Union Electric Co. purchased the plant in 1925. The "Union Electric" letters were replaced with the Ameron logo around 1997. [map]

Iowa Paint [gone]
Des Moines, IA		 Travelers Insurance
Des Moines, IA		 Colonial Bread
Des Moines, IA
Iowa Paint has been around since 1952. In 2005, the company was bought out by PPG Industries but the sign remained. This photo is from 2006. By 2012, the sign was gone. [photo thanks Glenda Campbell]

This Travelers Insurance sign was built in 1963. It is about 50 feet wide and 40 feet tall. In 1998, Travelers Insurance moved out of this building. The sign was restored by the building's current owner in 2005. It is lit at night. For more, see this website. [map]

Colonial Bread plant closed around 2000. This sign is now owned by the city. It has been restored and I believe it is lit once in a while. "Try It!" flashes on and off. For more, see this website. [first photo thanks Glenda Campbell] [map]

More Iowa:
Hotel Burlington (Burlington)
Roosevelt Hotel (Cedar Rapids)
Iowana Hotel (Creston)
Kahl Building (Davenport)
Hotel Randolph (Des Moines)
Bridge Restaurant & Lounge (Dubuque)
Fareway (Marshalltown)
Carroll Lumber Co. (Ottumwa) [gone]
Welcome (Sioux City)

Hotel Yellowstone
Pocatello, ID
The Hotel Yellowstone was built in 1915 as the Yellowstone National Hotel. The sign on the roof had a different design then. This sign was there by the 1930s and may be older than that. The letters may have been replaced later but the design is the same. The sign was originally lit with bulbs. Around 1960, the bulbs were removed and neon was added. Each letter has two sets of tubing, enabling them to alternate between red and green. In 2018, the sign was restored and relit. For more, see this website. [map]

Turf Club
Twin Falls, ID
The Turf Club opened in 1946. The name was a reference to the horse racing track located across the street at the time. The business at that time was a drinking and gambling establishment. This sign was built around 1953 by the Young Electric Sign Company (YESCO) shop in Las Vegas. It is about 45 feet wide. The "Turf Club" letters are lit with red neon. The champagne cocktail coupe glass is about 20 feet tall. It is outlined in blue and contains about 300 bulbs. About one-third of the bulbs inside and above the glass flicker at night to simulate bubbles. The clear bulbs appear golden at night. The stirrer and cherry are lit with red neon. The sign had a major restoration in 1969. To comply with the local sign ordinance, it must be diligently maintained to allow it to continue to be lit. The business has a monthly contract with Lytle Signs. The plastic panel at the bottom of the sign previously read "Fine Food & Dining." It was changed in the late 1970s when the business began offering banquets. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

Kentile
Floors [gone]
Chicago, IL		 Pioneer Motel
Springfield, IL
This Kentile Floors sign appeared to be identical to the one in Brooklyn, NY. Both signs were built sometime between 1949 and 1954. The Brooklyn sign was most likely the first since the company was founded there in 1898. I don't know of any other signs built like these. In 1992, Kentile declared bankruptcy from lawsuits over the asbestos contained in their tiles. Neither sign was operational for many years. The Chicago sign was removed in 2013. The owner was concerned about the sign falling apart. He kept the letter "K". The rest of the sign was scrapped. In 2014, the Brooklyn sign was also removed.

The Pioneer Motel was built in the 1940s. This sign was there by the mid-1950s. It was preceded by a different sign. [map]

Timmerman's Supper Club & Motor Inn [gone]
East Dubuque, IL		 Pepsi
Quincy, IL
The Timmerman's Supper Club & Motor Inn were going by two different names in 2010 when this photo was taken: the Timmerman's Hotel & Resort and the Timmerman's Supper Club. The Supper Club was built in 1961 and the Motor Inn in 1974. There were two of these signs, facing different directions. By 2015, both signs had been modernized with backlit plastic letters. By then, the hotel had closed and the "Motor Inn" letters were removed. For more, see this website.

This Pepsi sign is from the early 1960s when the Pepsi bottling plant below it was built. The production has moved to a new location but Pepsi continues to use this building for distribution and warehousing. The sign was refurbished in 2002. For more, see this website. [map]

More Illinois:
Millers First Insurance Company (Alton) [gone]
Hoyne Savings Bank (Chicago)
Essex Inn (Chicago)
Pepsi (Chicago) [vintage; gone]
Turk Furniture (Kankakee)
Hotel Pere Marquette (Peoria)

Scaffold Signs
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