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Tucson Signs (page 3)

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Empire Foods
Tucson, AZ
2012: 2017:

Empire Laundry & Buffet Bar

2017:
The Empire Foods supermarket sign is from 1933. It originally advertised for Joe W. Tang's Market. It became Empire Foods around 1957. The Empire Foods, Empire Laundry, and Buffet Bar signs were restored and relit in 2014. The plastic burger sign is hung inside Empire Foods. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, and 4. [map]

Caruso's Restaurant
Tucson, AZ
2012: 2017:
Caruso's Restaurant was established in 1938. This sign is believed to be from the early 1950s. In recent years, the sign's neon was only partially lit and the paint was peeling badly. The sign was restored in 2013. A grant from the Fourth Avenue Merchants Association covered about one-sixth of the cost. Due to city regulations, the sign had to be repaired on-site. The sign is about 15 feet tall and is lit with the original orange, cream, white, red, green and peach neon. The chef's hand raises a forkful of spaghetti in two-part animation. In 2023, the sign came loose from its supports. Before being reinstalled in 2024, it was repainted and the neon restored by Cook & Company. [map]

Bay Horse Tavern
Tucson, AZ		 Henry Electric
Tucson, AZ
The Bay Horse Tavern was established in 1948. This sign is believed to have been built in 1951 and moved to the bar's new location in 1958. The sign had not been lit since at least the 1970s. In 2024, Cook & Company Sign Makers repainted the sign and added neon. [map]

Henry Electric was established in 1935. The top part of this sign was built in 1925 when it advertised for Lester Pepper Grocery. The sign most likely had neon originally. By 2002, the building had been converted into the Henry Electric Apartments. This photo is from 2012. The sign is now partly obscured by a tree. [map]

Silver Saddle
Steak House
Tucson, AZ		 Downtown Motor Hotel
Tucson, AZ		 Sahara Apartments
Tucson, AZ
The Silver Saddle Steak House sign originally advertised for the Pickwick Inn Coffee Shop. The sign has been here since at least the 1960s. For more, see this website. [map]

The Downtown Motor Hotel opened in 1941. This sign was built around 1953. There was an earlier another sign before this one. In 2016, the motel was demolished and replaced with an apartment building. The sign and office below it were kept and restored. The AAA logo and "Air Conditioned" text were kept on the sign's main panel. The small white plastic panels were changed from "Telephones" and "Television" to the words "Leasing Office" and the address. For more, see this website. [map]

The Sahara Apartments was built as the Tidelands Motor Inn in 1960. This sign is from then. The letters on the sign were replaced in 1975 when the motel became the Sahara Motor Inn. In 2003, the motel was converted into apartments for University of Arizona students. The "Motor Inn" letters were replaced then. In 2024, the sign broke in half during high winds. It is not yet known if it will be restored. For more, see this website. [1965 scan thanks Steve Quintanilla]. [map]

Flamingo Hotel
Tucson, AZ
2012: 2017:
The Flamingo Hotel opened in 1954. This sign was built in 1963. The "Hotel" panels were yellow then. Since at least 2011, the hotel has been part of the Quality Inn chain. By 2015, the "Flamingo" panel had been repainted a dull grey. By 2016, the panel at the very top was replaced with a Quality Inn logo. It now has a Red Roof panel. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. [map]

Tucson Inn
Tucson, AZ
The Tucson Inn was designed by Anne Jackson Rysdale in 1952 and completed in 1953. By the mid-1950s, the porte cochere with this approximately 45-foot-tall sign was added to the building. The sign may have been built by the Electrical Products Corporation. The giant arrow originally pointed at a readerboard. The photos above are from 2012. The motel closed in 2016 and was likely going to be demolished. However, in 2018, Pima Community College bought the building. The sign was restored in 2022 and a relighting ceremony was held. The restoration was done by Fluoresco Services and Jude Cook of Cook & Company Sign Makers. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

Quail Inn
Tucson, AZ		 Ghost Ranch Lodge & Restaurant
Tucson, AZ		 Triple T Truckstop
Tucson, AZ		 Tucson
International Airport
Tucson, AZ
The Quail Inn was built in 1936 as the De Luxe Motel. The vacancy sign is probably from then. After World War II, the name was changed to the Starline Motel. This sign was built then. At some point it was adapted when the name changed to the Quail Inn. For more, see this website. [map]

The Ghost Ranch Lodge & Restaurant was built in 1941. This sign was built in 1952. The cow skull feature was designed by Georgia O'Keefe. The word "Restaurant" was added to the sign after 1958. The sign was restored in 2010. The complex is now used for senior housing. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

The Triple T Truckstop opened in 1954. Triple T stood for Tucson Truck Terminal. The buisness moved to this location in 1966. There was a smaller sign there then, with an Enco gas station sign above it. This sign was there by 1971. For more, see this website. [map]

The Tucson International Airport was built in 1958 as the Tucson Municipal Airport. This control tower sign is from then. The letters are 10 feet tall. For more, see this website. [map]

Thunderbird Curios
Tucson, AZ		 Sue's Fish & Chips
Tucson, AZ		 Valencia Market
Tucson, AZ
The Thunderbird Curios shop was located downtown next door to the Fox Theatre. This sign was built in 1937. I don't know when it was removed but I don't believe it was up in the mid-1960s. The sign was restored in 2015 by the Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation's Neon Sign Project. The black panels are original. The sign is on display inside the Joel D. Valdez Main Library. For more, see this website.

Sue's Fish & Chips started out with a trailer in 1952. They opened a restaurant about a year later. This sign might be from then. [map]

The Valencia Market sign appeared to be from the 1940s or 1950s. Around 2019, a neon-less replica sign was installed. The original sign is at the Ignite Sign Art Museum. [map]

Tucson
(Page 1)		 Tucson
(Page 2)		 Tucson
(Page 4)		 Phoenix Mesa
Arizona
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(page 2)		 Arizona
(page 3)		 Arizona
(page 4)		 Arizona
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