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Illinois Signs (page 8)

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Illini Lounge
Marseilles, IL		 Lincoln Motel [gone]
Marshall, IL		 Dan's Used Cars
Mascoutah, IL
The Illini Lounge sign is probably from the 1950s. [map]

The Lincoln Motel featured a bust of Abraham Lincoln on one side of this sign (the other was missing). This photo was from 2006. By 2011, the sign was gone.

Dan's Used Cars is long gone but this sign remains. It appears to be from the 1950s. [map]

U.S. Grant Motel [gone]
Mattoon, IL		 Pink Pony
McClure, IL
The U.S. Grant Motel sign appeared to be from the 1950s. This sign was sold to a collector in 2018. There was also a smaller version of this sign near the office. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.

This dancing woman sign at the Pink Pony strip club was built in the 1980s. The sign shop produced about six of these for a dance club, possibly the Deja Vu, in Memphis, TN. There was a sign still displayed in Memphis at the Spectrum nightclub until around 2015. Although the club is closed now, a similar-looking sign with a pair of legs remains above the entrance. The Pink Pony may have gotten this sign from the Pink Pony in Memphis which is still open. This location in McClure closed in 2023 but the sign remains. [map]

FillElectric Supply Co. [gone]
Melrose Park, IL		 Clean Cars [gone]
Melrose Park, IL		 Melrose Park
Pharmacy [gone]
Melrose Park, IL
The Fillmore Electric Supply Co. opened in 1956 and this sign appeared to be from then. The "Fillmore" text flashed on and off and night. This photo is from 2012. By 2014, the store had closed and the sign was gone. For more, see this website.

This photo of the Clean Cars sign was taken around 2001. I believe the business and the sign are gone now.

The Melrose Park Pharmacy sold both liquor and drugs. This photo was taken in 2006. By 2011, the business and signs were gone.

More Melrose Park:
Harlo Grill
Kiddieland

Gish Jewelry & Gifts [gone]
Mendota, IL
Gish Jewelry & Gifts opened in 1932. This sign looked like it might be from the 1940s or 1950s. The store had closed and the sign was gone by 2021.

Fitch's 5&10
Metropolis, IL
The Fitch's 5&10 sign is probably from the 1950s. The store had been closed for many years and this sign had been painted over. The paint was removed sometime between 2013 and 2016. Around 2020, the new building owner had the electrical components and neon restored with local grants. [map]

Watson
Motorsports [gone]
Midlothian, IL		 Midlothian Music [gone]
Midlothian, IL
I believe Watson Motorsports opened in 1974. This sign is probably from the 1950s and was most likely reworked from a previous business. Watson Motorsports closed in 2009. In 2014, the neon was removed and the sign was remodeled and painted black for a new business.

Midlothian Music opened here in 1960. The store had closed by 2021 and the sign is gone.

More Midlothian:
Smithereen Exterminators [gone]

Milan:
Pool's Welding

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]

Bud's Skyline Inn [gone]
Moline, IL		 Temple's Sporting
Goods [gone]
Moline, IL
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.

More Moline:
C. I. Josephsons Jewelers Clock
Lagomarcino's

Morris:
Park Motel [map]
Weitz Cafe

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
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 is supposedly being restored. However, I have heard that the store may be closed now. [map]

Mundelein:
Wiech's Inn [gone]

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