email: roadarch@outlook.com

Kansas City Signs (page 2)

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

Dixie-Lan Bar-B-Que [gone]
Kansas City, MO
Dave's Stagecoach Inn
Kansas City, MO
Hyline Inn [gone]
Kansas City, MO
The Dixie-Lan Bar-B-Que restaurant opened in 1951 and this sign may be from then. It closed 1980. This sign remained for decades. It was still there in 2017 but gone by 2018. The sign was removed by the city and is now in a private collection. It is still owned by the city but it may be displayed at the Lumi Neon Sign Museum in the future.

Dave's Stagecoach Inn opened in 1970. This sign was adapted from a former business. Sometime after 2008, the sign was damaged and replaced with a replica. This photo is from 2010. For more, see this website. [map]

The Hyline Inn sign was probably from the 1950s. At some point, the neon was replaced with LED rope. This photo is from 2010. In 2011, the motel was demolished and the sign was removed. It is now in a private collection. For more, see this website.

Supermarket [gone]
Kansas City, MO
Royal Auto Trim
Kansas City, MO
Bill Russell Motor Co.
Kansas City, MO
Downtown Motors
Kansas City, MO
This Supermarket was long gone but the sign remained when this photo was taken in 2012. It was still there in 2017. However, in 2018, the building was demolished and the sign was gone. It was probably from the 1940s or 1950s.

The Royal Auto Trim sign is probably from the 1950s. I suspect that the Royal Auto Trim sign might have advertised for Rayco originally. [map]

The Bill Russell Motor Co. signs also appear to be from the 1950s. The sign on the right is gone now. The sign on the left has been painted black on one side and the other has a tacked on sign for another used car dealership. [map]

The Downtown Motors sign shown on the left originally advertised for the Downtowner Motor Inn which was apparently built in the 1960s. There were at least four locations that used the same signs (Albuquerque, Amarillo, Little Rock, and Kansas City). I don't know when the motel was demolished. The Ford "A-1" Used Car signs were made in the 1950s. This one must have come from another car lot. The blue sign on top of it was a later addition. Around 2018, the tall sign was painted black and the letters were changed to read Autozoom. The A-1 sign is gone now. [map]

House of Flowers
Kansas City, MO
I have no idea when House of Flowers opened and these signs were installed. The project sign must have had neon originally. The store closed around 2016. The building has housed the Vibe KC salon since 2020 but the signs remain. [map]

Southside Carpet
Kansas City, MO
Seiden's Furs
Kansas City, MO
The Southside Carpet sign appears to be from the 1950s. [map]

Seiden's Furs operated here from 1921-2007. These signs are probably from the 1950s. The building remains vacant. [map]

The Ship
Kansas City, MO
Royal Liquor
Kansas City, MO
The Ship bar operated downtown from 1935-1995. Before the building was demolished, in 2004, this sign was found in the basement. I'm guessing that the sign is from the 1950s but it might have been built later. In 2014, the bar reopened with the same name at this location. The interior is inspired by that of the original bar. The sign was installed next to the entrance behind the building. There is another sign inside which appears to be vintage. For more, see this website. [map]

The first Royal Liquor store in town opened in 1978. There were at least two or three other locations including this one. I believe this is the only location and sign like this left. For more, see this website. [map]

Brown and Loe
Kansas City, MO
Brown and Loe was established in the 1940s as a produce broker on the second floor of this building. These signs might be from the 1940s or 1950s. The business closed in the 1980s but these signs remained on the building. The Brown & Loe restaurant opened here in 2016. [map]

Drugs
Kansas City, MO
The building which supports this Drugs was built in 1935. It was housing the Parkview Pharmacy by 1940. It was probably the original tenant on this corner. However, this sign was not there then. It was probably built in the 1950s. By the 1970s, the building was housing Revco Drugs. It has housed many other businesses since then but the sign remains. [map]

Motor Cargo/Consolidated Freightways

York, PA
2010:

Kansas City, MO
2024:
This Motor Cargo/Consolidated Freightways sign was located right next to I-83 when it was installed in York, PA. The sign is about 40 feet long and featured animated neon which made the truck's wheels appear to move. There was also another panel depicting light coming from the truck's headlights. That panel disappeared at some point. In 2011, the sign was removed. It was donated to the American Truck Historical Society and has been restored. In 2013, the sign was installed at the ATHS in Kansas City.

The sign was originally built to advertise for Motor Cargo. The Consolidated Freightways panel was added later. The ATHS restored the sign with Motor Cargo on one side and CF on the other. The sign is lit at night but the wheels do not spin. An identical Motor Cargo sign like this was installed in 1958 in West Richfield, OH. I assume that the York sign was also installed that same year. It is not known what became of the West Richfield sign. [map]

Kansas City (page 1) Kansas City (page 3) St. Louis
MO (page 1) MO (page 2) MO (page 3) MO (page 4) MO (page 5)
Main Signs Page