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Tulsa Signs (page 1)

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Cain's Ballroom
Tulsa, OK
Cain's Ballroom opened in 1924. Numerous country music stars, 1950s rock and roll acts, and contemporary bands have performed here over the years. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

Atlas Life Building
Tulsa, OK		 Mayo Building
Tulsa, OK		 Pinion Manufacturing & Supply Co.
Tulsa, OK
The Atlas Life Building was built in 1922. This four-story tall sign was installed in 1946. The sign features a figure of Atlas holding a globe. The sign was created by Claude Neon Federal. It was taken down in 1998 after suffering wind damage. The sign was restored and reinstalled in 2001. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. [map]

The Mayo Building was built in 1910 and expanded 1917. The building has been converted from office space to lofts. This vertical sign is three stories tall. It might be from the 1950s. [map]

Pinion Manufacturing & Supply Co. was established in 1950. This sign may be from then. [map]

Earle M. Jorgensen Co.
Tulsa, OK
The Earle M. Jorgensen Co., aka EMJ Metals, is a steel and metal distribution company. It was established in 1921 and the first warehouse was built in Lynwood, CA in 1923. There are now about three dozen locations in the U.S. and Canada. These signs appear to be from the 1950s. The rooftop sign now has LED rope instead of neon tubing. There are similar rooftop signs in Lynwood, CA and Dallas, TX. [map]

Coca-Cola [gone]
Tulsa, OK		 Ehrle's Party & Carnival Supply Store [gone]
Tulsa, OK
This Coca-Cola billboard sign was visible from Highway 64. The letters were filled with modern LED tubing rather than neon tubing. Does anyone know how old this sign was? This photo is from 2011. The sign was gone by 2017.

Ehrle's Party & Carnival Supply Store opened in 1955. The pole and rooftop signs were probably from then or shortly thereafter. The store moved to a new location and, by 2014, these signs were gone.

Campbell Hotel
Tulsa, OK		 Lot-A-Burger [gone]
Tulsa, OK		 McKee's
Sewing Center
Tulsa, OK		 Dolphin Pools & Spa
Tulsa, OK
The Campbell Hotel was built in 1927. It was renovated in 2011. The lettering and neon on this sign were probably updated at that time. [map]

Lot-A-Burger was part of a Tulsa-based chain. The first location opened in 1951. This was the company's second location, built in the 1950s. There are still eight Lot-A-Burgers in Tulsa and Bartlesville but this location is now independent. Around 2018, this sign was replaced with a rectangular, backlit plastic box sign.

The McKee's Sewing Center opened in 1943 and closed around 2007. The building remained vacant until 2016. At that point, the sign was adapted for the McKee's Office Building. There was another sign on the building which is gone now. [map]

Dolphin Pools & Spa was established in 1976. This sign must be from then. In 2021, the sign's bottom panels were gone. [map]

Interparts of Tulsa
Tulsa, OK		 Fur Shop
Tulsa, OK		 Ranch House Restaurant [gone]
Tulsa, OK
The Interparts of Tulsa sign originally advertised for Payton's Auto Service. The sign was probably built in the 1950s. It had been painted over for Interparts by 2007. Neon was added to the sign in 2019. [map]

The Fur Shop sign was found inside another bar in town which had been a fur storage facility. The owner decided to install the sign at this location and name the business after it. The bar closed around 2003 and the sign had been removed by 2007. It was reinstalled in 2013 when the bar reopened. [map]

The Ranch House Restaurant sign is probably from the 1950s. The first photo is from 2006. The neon was removed and it was repainted around 2008. In 2009, the sign was repainted again when the name was changed to Nelson's Ranch House. The second photo is from 2011. By 2014, the "Nelson's" part of the sign had been painted over and the building was vacant. By 2015, the sign had been replaced entirely with a new one. For more, see this website.

Nelson's Buffeteria
Tulsa, OK

2012:
2019:
Nelson's Buffeteria opened in 1929. The restaurant moved to a new location in 1949 and that might be when the neon sign was built. The restaurant closed in 2003 and the sign was saved by the family. The restaurant reopened at a new location in 2012. For a while, there was only this vinyl banner and a star-like sign which was a holdover from the previous tenant, Betty Ann's restaurant. The star sign looked like a C-152 Lectra but with the bulbs on the face of the arms rather than the sides. By 2014, the star was gone and the banner had been replaced with the restored, original sign. For more, see this website. [map]

American Cleaners
Tulsa, OK
2006: 2011: 2024:
The top of the American Cleaners sign had been painted over by 2006. By 2011, the sign had been adapted for the Eleventh Street Lofts. By 2022, new lettering and neon had been added to the sign. Does anyone know the name of the cleaners that was here originally? For more, see this website. [map]

Hostess Brands
Tulsa, OK

2019:
2024:
Hostess Brands operated this Wonder Bread bakery from 1955 until 2012. The building remains vacant and the signs remain. [map]

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