email: roadarch@outlook.com

Georgia Signs (page 1)

(hit "refresh" to get the most recent version of this page; click on photos for larger images)

Bill Chambers Motors [gone]
Albany, GA		 Carling Black Label
Albany, GA
Bill Chambers Motors opened in the 1950s and this sign appears to have been from then. This photo is from 2007. By 2011, the business and the sign were gone.

This Carling Black Label sign is installed in front of the Oglethorpe Lounge. It is probably from the 1950s. I have not seen any other signs like this but they must have been mass-produced. [map]

Giles Builders Supply [gone]
Albany, GA
The "Mr. Builder" sign was installed on the roof of Giles Builders Supply when they opened in 1953. The sign features red, white and blue neon and Mr. Builder's hammer moves up and down. Giles closed in 2009. In 2010, a new company moved into the building and the sign was donated to the Thronateeska Heritage Foundation. I assume that was just the square panel and that the much larger horizontal panel was destroyed. For more, see this website.

More Albany:
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts
Philco [map]

Pipe Corner
Atlanta, GA
The Pipe Corner and Royal Cigar Co. businesses are long gone but this sign remains. It has been there since at least 1952. The sign has not been lit since 1990. In 2015, plans were announced to demolish the building on which this sign hangs. The fate of this sign is unknown at this point. However, it was still there when these photos were taken in 2021. For more, see this website. [map]

Coca-Cola
Atlanta, GA		 Kennedy and Cohen [gone]
Atlanta, GA
The original Coca-Cola disc-shaped sign was installed downtown in 1932. The Coca-Cola disc was nine feet in diameter and was lit with bulbs. It was part of a changing billboard. In 1948, a 28 foot wide disc was installed along with a 44-foot-tall thermometer. The sign was removed in 1981. A recreation was built in 2003. The current sign is a replacement from 2020 which has LED instead of neon. It is 33 feet in diameter. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. [map]

The Kennedy and Cohen appliance store was long gone when this photo was taken in 2006. The sign was over 100 feet tall. By 2011, it was gone.

Hotel Clermont
Atlanta, GA
The Hotel Clermont was built in 1924 as the Bonaventure Arms Apartments. It became the Hotel Clermont in 1939. In 2017, the signs were temporarily removed with the interior of the building was gutted and renovated. It reopened in 2018. The signs were restored and reinstalled. The 65-foot-tall rooftop sign originally served as a radio tower. The letters are lit with red neon. The "Motor Hotel" pole sign and the vertical panel addition to the marquee sign were probably built in the 1950s. At some point, the pole sign was hit by a truck and badly bent. That sign was replicated instead of restored. The original panels were sold to a collector. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. [map]

The Bootery
Atlanta, GA
2006: 2021:
The Bootery sign may have been moved here from a previous location. It has been at this location since at least 1951. The Poll Parrot Shoes' parrot signs were installed sometime that. Previously, there were Sundial Shoes letters installed on the facade where the parrot is now. In 2011, the projecting blade sign was removed. The script letters are still there. The store closed around 2019. For more, see this website. [map]

Majestic Shoe Repair
Atlanta, GA		 Prince Hall Grand Lodge
Atlanta, GA		 Ebenezer Baptist Church
Atlanta, GA
The Majestic Shoe Repair sign has been here since at least 1951. The store is gone but the sign remains. The space below now houses the Brickstone Cafe & Restaurant. [map]

The Prince Hall Grand Lodge was built in 1937. This sign was repainted around 2008. It is probably from the 1950s. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

The Ebenezer Baptist Church was founded in 1886. The congregation moved to this location in 1914. This sign was installed in 1956. It was restored in 2002. For more, see this website. [map]

Blue Bird Service Center
Atlanta, GA
The Blue Bird Service Center was established in 1939. At that time, three giant neon bluebird signs were installed. Two of the bluebird signs were installed on the roof as part of a huge, two-sided "Truck Stop" sign visible from Memorial Drive (later I-20). That sign was removed in 1994. One of the bluebird panels was saved and is now located behind the building (bottom photo above).

The bluebird sign on the former gas station facade remains (top row above). It had neon originally but now has LED tubing accents. The building has been used for a variety of businesses over the years. It currently houses the Alpha Bonding Company. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, and 4. [map]

S&S Cafeteria
Atlanta, GA
The S&S Cafeteria location opened in 1968 and closed in 2018. These signs remain. There were at least seven other locations. The first location opened in Columbus, GA in 1936. [map]

More Atlanta:
Biltmore Hotel
Coca-Cola
Goody's Kodak
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts
Mary Mac's Tea Room
Municipal Market
Starlight Six Drive-in
Superior Food

Augusta:
Eat-A-Plenty Drive-in [vintage; gone]
Fox Shoe Repairs [gone]

Georgia
(page 2)		 Georgia
(page 3)		 Georgia
(page 4)		 Main Signs Page