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Dallas Signs (page 1)

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Centennial Liquors
Dallas, TX		 Lucas
B&B Restaurant
Dallas, TX
Centennial Liquors was a Dallas liquor store chain. This 38-foot-tall sign was built in 1958 for the Big D Value Mart. The store got permission from the State Fair to use the character of Big Tex for the sign. When Big D Value Mart closed in 1962, the sign was sold to Centennial Liquors. The lettering was changed at that point. In 1985, the sign was toppled by high winds. It was rebuilt using mostly original parts. In 1993, the sign was moved to this Centennial location. These photos are from 2011. The store closed in 2012. The sign's neon was restored in 2013 for the filming of an AMC TV pilot, "Halt & Catch Fire". AMC paid for the restoration with permission from the owner. In 2015, the property was put up for sale. The sign was sold to the State Fair. It has been restored and is now on display at Fair Park during the fair.

The Lucas B&B Restaurant is gone but this sign remains. The restaurant was established in 1911. This sign is probably from the 1940s or 1950s. The restaurant closed in the 1980s. The sign is maintained by the Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen which is now on the site. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

Glo Cleaning System
Gaston Ave. [gone]
Dallas, TX		 former Glo Cleaners [gone]
North Abrams
Dallas, TX		 former Glo Cleaners
Sunnyvale St. [gone]
Dallas, TX
former Glo Cleaners
Commerce St.
Dallas, TX
I believe there were at least nine Glo Cleaning System locations in Dallas. I believe the chain was established in 1940.

The Gaston Ave. location was still open when this photo was taken in 2003. The business and sign are gone now.

The first photo above of the North Abrams location was taken in 2006. The building began housing Daisy Dry Cleaning around 2011. This second photo above is from that year. The Glo sign was still there then but it was removed in 2014. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.

The Sunnyvale St. location opened in 1953. Although the building later housed Baccus Cleaners, the Glo wedding cake sign was still used. by 2023, that business was gone and so was the sign. For more, see this website.

The Commerce St. location opened in 1950. These photos are from 2011 when the building was housing Bibbentuckers, a dry cleaners. The building now houses Plan B Group. The Glo facade sign and pole sign remain. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. [map]

This was another location on Oates Drive. There are two other Glo Cleaners in Springfield, MO with the same style sign. They must have been part of this same chain or a copycat. There are other Glo Cleaners in Fort Worth, TX; Mesquite, TX; and Seattle, WA but I don't know if they were related or have old signs. Does anyone know more about this chain?

former Mercantile
National Bank
Weather Tower
Dallas, TX		 Western Cafe
Dallas, TX		 Sowell Liquor
Dallas, TX		 Sigel's Liquor Store
Addison, TX (now Dallas, TX)
The Mercantile National Bank Weather Tower serves as a weather beacon. The Mercantile National Bank Building was completed in 1942. In 1947, an illuminated tower was built and used for KERA radio broadcasts. In 1958, the tower was replaced with the current one with the clocks. There are four 20-foot-tall clocks which were originally lit with neon. In 2007, the hands were replaced and updated with LED lighting. Above the clocks, the top part 45 feet of the 115-foot-tall tower forecasts the weather. It was originally also lit with neon (now LED). The white rings flash upwards when temperatures are expected to rise. They flash downward when temperatures are dropping. A star at the top is lit green for fair weather and red for bad weather. For more, see this website. [map]

This Western Cafe sign is installed over the entrance to the Dallas Farmers Market. I don't know where the sign was located originally. Before it was moved to its current location, it was across the street and had been partially painted over or covered up. Before that, at the same location, it advertised for a Mexican restaurant. These Coca-Cola signs were mass-produced. I believe they were built in the 1940s and/or 1950s. [map]

The Sowell Liquor store has been closed since at least 2008 but this sign remains. The sign is probably from the 1950s. [map]

Sigel's Liquor Store was founded in 1905 and has several locations in the Dallas area. This sign was built in 1954 at the chain's seventh store, located in Dallas. The store closed in 2009. The sign was refurbished and reinstalled at the Addison location. That location closed in 2016 and the sign was removed. It was reinstalled at another Dallas location in 2017. The animated sign was designed by Marvin Sigel who designed two similar signs which have been destroyed. Sigel refutes the assumption that the circles represented champagne bubbles and the starburst on top was a Sputnik reference. The design was simply based on a rough sketch using abstract forms. For more, see this website. [map]

Good Luck
Trailer Court
Dallas, TX		 Cole Manor
Motel [gone]
Dallas, TX		 Jennings Paint & Floor Co.
Dallas, TX
The Good Luck Trailer Court is now the Good Luck RV Park. This sign may be from the 1940s. For more, see this website. [map]

The Cole Manor Motel opened in 1946 as the El Sombrero Motor Courts. This sign was probably from the 1950s. It was removed in 2021.

Jennings Paint & Floor Co. is long gone but this sign remains. By 2023, the sign was leaning to the left side and the arrow was gone. [map]

Hotel Newland
Dallas, TX		 Adler Hotel
Dallas, TX
The Hotel Newland was built in 1923. This sign appears to be from the 1940s or 1950s. [map]

The Adler Hotel was built around 1925. The signs are probably from the 1940s or 1950s. For more, see this website. [map]

Crown Pools
Dallas, TX		 Famsa Furniture
Dallas, TX		 Love Field
Dallas, TX
The Crown Pools sign is probably from the 1960s. There are about a dozen Crown Pools stores in the Dallas area but I believe this is the only plastic sign left. There was a neon sign in Irving, TX which is gone now but the one in DeSoto, TX is still there. [map]

The Famsa Furniture sign originally advertised for Bearden Furniture. It was built in 1968. The text panel read "Bearden" and appears to have revolved. [map]

The Dallas Love Field airport sign was designed by Tie Davis and built in 1958. I believe it had neon originally. The sign removed around 1995 for restoration. It was finally restored and reinstalled in 2013. The panels appear to be new and are lit with backlit LED tubing. [map]

Sunshine Laundry
Dallas, TX		 Midway Liquor (now River Liquor)
Dallas, TX
2006: 2017: 2006: 2011:
Sunshine Laundry & Dry Cleaners was established in 1941. This sign appears to be from the 1950s. In 2011, the company moved down the street. With permission from the City, this sign was moved to the new location. For more, see this website. [map]

Midway Liquor closed around 2007. However, this sign was saved and moved to River Liquor. The lettering was changed from "Midway" to "River". For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

Stop n' Save Liquor
Dallas, TX
The Stop n' Save Liquor sign has two different faces. It appears that the sign revolved originally. It is probably from the 1950s. I don't know what the spikes on top of the sign supported originally. [map]

City Sewing Machine Co.
Dallas, TX
The City Sewing Machine Co. was originally located downtown. This sign was probably brought along when the company moved to this location northwest of downtown. It appears to be from the 1940s or 1960s. [map]

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