email: roadarch@outlook.com

Pittsburgh Signs

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

Heinz Ketchup
Pittsburgh, PA
Clark Bar
Pittsburgh, PA
The Heinz Ketchup neon sign features a pouring ketchup bottle which empties into the lettering below. The sign, built in 1995, is nearly 43 feet tall and has 1,200 lights. The sign was taken down in 2007 and reinstalled nearby shortly thereafter. For more, see this website. There were also two 35-foot-tall neon Heinz bottles that poured ketchup in the Heinz Field football stadium. In 2022, the stadium was renamed and the bottles were removed. [map]

The D.L. Clark Company made their candy bars in this North Side building from 1911 to 1986. The Clark Bar sign was built in 1948 and installed on the roof. It had neon originally. At one time, there were signs below it for Clark's other candy bars (Zagnut and Crispy). In 1999, manufacturing was moved to Massachusetts and the building was taken over by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review newspaper who wanted to replace the sign with their own. The old Clark sign was restored and moved to the back of the parking lot behind the building. [map]

Wholey [gone]
Pittsburgh, PA
Kelly's Bar & Lounge
Pittsburgh, PA
Chief's Cafe
Pittsburgh, PA
The Wholey fish sign was about 50 feet long and 25 feet high. The bulb sign was strung up along a nearby building sometime in 1989. The sign was lit at night with the fish's eye blinking on and off. Wholey is a fish market with origins tracing back to 1912. In 2013, there was talk of relocating the sign. However, in the end, the sign stayed put. I believe the fish was taken down just before the building was demolished in 2021. It's not known if it will be displayed elsewhere. For more, see this website.

Kelly's Bar & Lounge has been here since the 1940s. For more, see this website. [map]

The Chief's Cafe bar was opened by a city Fire Chief, possibly in the 1930s. Does anyone know more about the history of this place or when this sign was built? [map]

YMCA
Pittsburgh, PA
Lucky's Tavern
Pittsburgh, PA
Klein's Restaurant
Pittsburgh, PA
Tiki Lounge
Pittsburgh, PA
This YMCA sign is probably from the 1950s. There are similar signs like this around the country including these in Wichita Falls, TX and Fullerton, CA. For more, see this website. [map]

Lucky's Tavern is also known as the Real Luck Cafe. This sign probably predates both names. [map]

The Klein's Restaurant sign is located at the Senator John Heinz History Center. This sign is probably from the 1950s. Originally, the sign was animated with the lobster's claw opening and closing. The restaurant closed in 1992 and the sign was donated to the museum. For more, see this website.

The Tiki Lounge opened in 2002 and this sign is from then. For more, see this website. [map]

More Pittsburgh:
Alvin's Jewelry [gone]
Dee's Cafe
Equitable Gas
Modern Cafe
Mural Grill [gone]
Niki's Pizza [gone]
Walsh's Lounge & Bar [gone]
Wilson Drugs

PA (page 1) PA (page 2) PA (page 3) Philadelphia

Main Signs Page