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Illinois Signs (page 11)

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Luna Cafe
Mitchell, IL
2010: 2024:
The Luna Cafe opened in 1926 and was frequented by both celebrities and gangsters. Many years ago, the building also served as a boarding house, gambling hall, and brothel. The sign is believed to be from the late 1940s. The neon was only partially working when the sign was last lit in the 1990s. The sign was restored and relit in 2011. Part of the funding for the restoration came from the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program. The organization's cost-sharing grant split the $22,000 bill with the business owner. The sign's panels were cleaned and touched up. The chasing bulbs which surround the nine-foot-long sign are functioning again. Enough of the neon tubing remained to recreate the sign's original colors. The text is orange, green and red. The white cocktail glass contains a red neon cherry. According to legend, the cherry was only lit when prostitutes were on duty. In reality, the sign had no separate mechanism for that. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. [map]

Fraternal
Order of Eagles
Moline, IL		 Bud's Skyline Inn [gone]
Moline, IL		 Temple's Sporting
Goods [gone]
Moline, IL
This Fraternal Order of Eagles corner sign is composed of metal letters with neon. It might be from the 1950s. [map] Bud's Skyline Inn was previously Joe's Skyline Inn. It became Bud's in 1985. I don't know if this airplane was part of an earlier sign or if it was created when the new plastic sign below it was built. Bud's closed in 2015. I believe this sign was sold at auction. It is now in a private collection.

Temple's Sporting Goods opened in 1928. This sign was probably from the 1950s or 1960s. It had either been recently refurbished or it was a replica of a sign from that time period. In 2018, it was announced that the business was moving to Bettendorf, IA. The sign was removed in 2019 and is now in a private collection.

Hafner's Tavern & Liquor Store
Moline, IL		 Teske's See & Feed
Moline, IL
Hafner's Tavern & Liquor Store may have opened in 1950 and this sign is likely from then. [map]

Teske's See & Feed was established in 1922. This sign is probably from the 1950s. It was restored sometime after 2012 and covered with plexiglass to protect the neon tubing. [map]

More Moline:
C.I. Josephson Jewelers
Lagomarcino's

Patton's Seed & Hardware
Monmouth, IL
This Patton's Seed & Hardware sign is installed on the side of a building. There was a Patton's Feed and Seed Store nearby by 1916. It apparently grew into the Seed & Hardware store on the town square by the early 1950s. I don't know when the store closed but this sign must have been moved here then or some years after that. [map]

Weits Cafe
Morris, IL		 Park Motel
Morris, IL
The Weits Cafe opened in 1928 as the Weitz Cafe. This sign was probably from the 1950s. In 1978, the name was changed to the Weits Cafe and the letter was changed. In 2019, the sign fell to the street and was badly damaged. A replica sign was installed later that year. This photo is from 2024. For more, see this website. [map]

The Park Motel sign is probably from the 1950s. [map]

Fraternal Order of Eagles
Morris, IL
The Fraternal Order of Eagles sign is probably from the 1950s. [map]

Yarbrough Appliances
Morrison, IL
These Hotpoint and GE signs are installed in the window of Yarbrough Appliances. [map]

Mount Carmel:
Shamrock Motel [gone]

Stan the Tire Man [gone]
Mount Vernon, IL
Stan the Tire Man opened in 1951. This sign was built a couple of years after that. The top part of the sign with the bulbs is made of stainless steel. It appears that this part of the sign was added after 1965. In 2015, the store closed and that owner intended to sell the sign. The building now houses the Overhead Door Company. In 2024, the sign was removed. It was supposedly being restored. However, the store closed and the sign is now in a private collection.

Mundelein:
Wiech's Inn [gone]

Murphysboro Abstract Co.
Murphysboro, IL
The Murphysboro Abstract Co. sign is probably from the 1950s. [map]

Naperville:
Russell's Cleaners [gone]

Pittsburgh Paints [gone]
Nauvoo, IL
This Pittsburgh Paints sign hung above Kraus Home Furnishings. It was gone by 2023. These embossed plastic signs were mass-produced and there are still a number of them around the country.

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