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Bakersfield Signs (page 1)

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Rice Bowl Restaurant
Bakersfield, CA
2017: 2022:
The Rice Bowl Restaurant opened around 1947. The text part of the sign was probably neon originally. The rice bowl panel looks like it had more neon originally. The motor box below it with the vents indicate that the panel revolved. The sign was repainted around 2022. I don't know if this place was related to the Rice Bowl in Merced or if it was just a common name. [map]

Sinaloa Restaurant [gone]
Bakersfield, CA
The Sinaloa Restaurant opened in 1948. In 1957, it moved to a new location and these signs are probably from then. The restaurant closed in 2018. Both signs were sold to a collector and removed. In 2021, the sign shown on the left above was sold to the Kern County Museum (see below) where it has been repainted and put on display in the Neon Plaza.

Mexicali Restaurant
Bakersfield, CA
The Mexicali Restaurant was established in 1939 as a hot dog and snow cone stand. The first restaurant was built in 1953. This location was built sometime after that. The neon signs may be from the 1950s. This first sign above appears is probably from the late 1950s or 1960s. For more, see this website. [map]

Cay Health Foods [gone]
Bakersfield, CA		 Shell sign
Bakersfield, CA
Cay Health Foods opened in 1948. This sign was from the 1950s. This photo is from 2012. By 2015, the store and the sign were gone.

This plastic Shell sign is located at the Schwebel Petroleum Co. It is probably from the 1960s. [map]

Sparkle Cleaners
Bakersfield, CA
2011: 2024:
Sparkle Cleaners was established in 1949. These signs are probably from the 1950s and/or 1960s. Around 2023, the round plastic panels at the top of the sign were replaced with a graphic of a running boy. The neon channel letters below are also either opaque or have plastic faces. There reader board has also been replaced. For more, see this website. [map]

Trout's Nightclub
Bakersfield, CA		 Tower Motel
Bakersfield, CA
Trout's Nightclub opened in Bakersfield in 1941. The bar moved across the street in 1945. This sign was probably from then or shortly thereafter. It originally had neon. In 2017, the sign was removed and was going to be donated to the Kern County Museum. But it disappeared before the museum actually got it. In 2024, the stolen sign was found and it will be displayed at the museum.

The Tower Motel signs are probably from the 1950s. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. [map]

Palms Liquor
Bakersfield, CA		 Wool Grower's Restaurant
Bakersfield, CA		 Orange Grove Mobile Home Park
Bakersfield, CA
The Palms Liquor sign might be from the 1950s. It is lit at night. For more, see this website. [map]

The Wool Grower's Restaurant opened in 1954 at a different location. This sign is probably from then. It was repainted around 2011. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

The Orange Grove Mobile Home Park sign is probably from the 1940s or 1950s. The neon has been missing for decades. [map]

Lazo's Pool Parlor
Bakersfield, CA
The Lazo's Pool Parlor sign is probably from the 1950s. When the sign was lit, the pool stick flashed on and off. [map]

Ideal Cleaners
Bakersfield, CA
2008: 2013:
The Ideal Cleaners sign is probably from the 1950s. By 2013, the sign had been repainted and the neon removed.

Zingo's Cafe
Bakersfield, CA
Zingo's Cafe opened in 1965. The restaurant has two signs: one on a pole and the other on the roof. For more, see this website. [map]

Pyrenees Cafe & Saloon
Bakersfield, CA		 Globe Loan Jewelry Company
Bakersfield, CA
The Pyrenees Cafe & Saloon opened in 1887. This sign is probably from the 1940s or 1950s. It was restored around 2017. [map]

The Globe Loan Jewelry Company opened in 1966 and these signs are probably from then. The main sign is lit at night. For more, see this website. [map]

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