The photos and links at this page are meant to accompany an article I wrote for an upcoming issue of the Society for Commercial Archeology's Journal.

Opal glass signs were built from the 1910s through the 1930s. The letters are made of translucent glass and lit from behind with light bulbs. The majority of these letters were white but other colors were produced as well. Sign companies produced these letters in various stock sizes. Each letter was molded on a separate plate. The raised letters protrude from the perforated metal sign cabinet. These letters had a couple of advantages over flat, painted signs. The wording could be read from an angle by pedestrians and passing motorists. The brightness also increased the sign's visibility. When neon was introduced in the late 1920s, production of opal glass signs decreased in popularity. Over the years, most business owners scrapped their old glass and bulb signs and had new neon signs built. Therefore, there are only a few dozen of these signs left on public display. Most of them are not maintained and only a few are still lit. Many opal glass signs have broken or missing letters. Over time, many businesses removed the letters and installed white plastic sheeting inside the sign cabinet. This made the characters still readable. The Flexlume Sign Corp. in Buffalo which possibly invented these signs still produces these letters. This video shows one of the ways that these letters can be made.

L&H Shoe Shop Valley City, ND	Caplan's Department Store Ellicott City, MD	Montgomery Shoe Factory Montgomery, AL

The L&H Shoe Shop opened in 1949 and is still in operation. This sign is probably from an earlier business. Caplan's Department Store is gone but this sign remains. An antiques store is in the building now. The Montgomery Shoe Factory sign hangs above the NewSouth Bookstore. The store previously housed the Montgomery Shoe Factory. The building was constructed in 1960. It is believed that the sign was hung on the old building and reinstalled when the new building was constructed. The opal glass letters date this sign to the 1910s-1930s. It is not known when the neon was installed over the letters.

Manning's Coffee Store Los Angeles, CA	Bradbury Building Los Angeles, CA	Hotel Bixby Los Angeles, CA		Belasco Theatre Los Angeles, CA

The Manning's Coffee Store sign was built in 1933. In 2012, the sign was meticulously restored and relit with funding from the National Trust and the National Park Service Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program. The sign combines neon and opal glass letters. The border detail was a typical element for early pre-neon signs. Sign companies carried stock designs which were usually made of tin. These border pieces were soldered onto signs. The Manning’s restaurant chain originated in Seattle and expanded throughout the western United States. At one time, there were 19 locations in Los Angeles. This sign was originally installed in Hollywood, California. It was moved to this Highland Park location in 1936. The restaurant closed in the 1950s and the sign fell into disrepair. The opal glass letters were stolen in the 1990s but were later recovered. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. The Bradbury Building was built in 1893. The sign is probably from the 1910s or 1920s. It is lit at night. For more, see this website. The Hotel Bixby was built in 1911. This sign features hinged letter plates. This made it easier to replace the light bulbs inside the sign. This address sign from the Belasco Theatre features interchangeable opal letters. The theatre opened in 1926. It is now used as a performing arts venue.

IRT Subway New York, NY	Barbetta Restaurant New York, NY		Bisbee Review Bisbee, AZ		Hotel Monte Vista Flagstaff, AZ

This IRT Subway sign near Wall Street was lit in 2005. I don't know if it still is. For more, see this website. The Barbetta Restaurant opened in 1906 and moved to this location in 1925. This sign is believed to be from 1931. It is lit at night. The owner is interested in restoring the sign. For more, see this website. The Bisbee Review newspaper was published from 1901-1971. I believe the paper's offices were located here. The Hotel Monte Vista opened in 1927. This sign is probably from then. At some point, the opal glass letters were overlaid with neon. The hotel also has a couple of neon signs. For more, see this website.

San Carlos Apartments Tucson, AZ	Hotel San Carlos Yuma, AZ		Hotel Del Sol Yuma, AZ

The San Carlos Apartments were built in 1910. Most likely, this was a combination sign of neon and opal glass letters. It was built around 1930. The Hotel San Carlos was built in 1930 and this sign is probably from then. The "Air Cooled" letters at the bottom of this sign are made of opal glass. The neon on the hotel's signs has been restored but the opal letters are not lit. For more about the building, see this page. The Hotel Del Sol was built in 1926 as the Del Ming Hotel. The name was changed to the Hotel Del Sol in 1936. It has been vacant since 1981. The city now owns the building and hopes to restore and convert it into a transportation center someday. The opal glass sign is probably from the 1930s. Neon was installed on top of the letters later on. That tubing is now mostly gone. The rooftop neon sign was here by the 1940s. Originally, there was another row of text on top of the sign which spelled out "New". There was also a Nite Club sign on the building which has been restored and relocated. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.

Rosemont Hotel Beaumont, TX	Shepherd Laundries Co. Beaumont, TX

The Rosemont Hotel was built around 1893 and has been vacant for many years. This sign is probably from the 1920s. It was still installed vertically in 2002. It may have been blown off the building in 2005 during Hurricane Rita and reinstalled. The Shepherd Laundries Co. was established in the 1890s. I believe the company is still in business as Shepherd's Uniform & Linen Supply Co. This sign is probably from the 1920s or 1930s.

Plotkin Furniture Athol, MA	Lahiere Restaurant Princeton, NJ	Keit's Flowers Bay City, MI	Jensen's Recreation Center Los Angeles, CA

Plotkin Furniture was founded in 1919 and moved to this location in 1953. This sign must have been moved with the business. It is lit at night during business hours. The top part of the sign originally read "Glendale Ranges". The Lahiere Restaurant opened in 1919 and this sign is most likely from then. It was produced by Flexlume Sign which was one of the biggest manufacturers of opal glass signs. The restaurant closed in 2010. The space was being renovated for another restaurant when this photo was taken in 2012. It's not known what will happen with this sign. Keit's Flowers opened in 1930 and this sign is probably from then. The top line of text is composed of opal glass letters while the rest of the sign had neon. Jensen's Recreation Center was built in 1924. The building originally had a bowling alley and a pool hall. The rooftop sign has been here since at least the 1940s. It very well may have been there since the 1920s. The sign is 28 feet long and 17 feet tall. It features an animated bowler rolling a strike. There are an estimated 1,300 red, green and white bulbs. It also features two opal glass blade signs. The sign was restored and relit in 1997. However, it has been dark since 2005. Funds are being raised for another restoration. For more, see 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7.

John J. Ferry & Sons Funeral Home Meriden, CT

This sign for John J. Ferry & Sons Funeral Home is probably from 1937 or earlier. For more, see this website.

Tribune-Monitor Building Fort Scott, KS

The Tribune-Monitor Building was built in 1925. The building features the original bronze signs with opal glass letters. For more, see this website.

More Opal Glass Signs: The Star (Mena, AR) Ambassador Dog & Cat Hospital (Los Angeles, CA) Bendix Building (Los Angeles, CA) [in storage] Wineman Hotel: 1, 2 (San Luis Obispo, CA) Delta Hotel (Stockton, CA) Southern Plate Glass & Paint Co. (Ocala, FL) Hotel Northampton (Northampton, MA) Kingston Theatre (Cheboygan, MI) Chinook Motel (Chinook, MT) Southern Hotel (Elizabeth City, NC) Guilford National Bank (Greensboro, NC) Glassman's Drugs: 1, 2 (Paterson, NJ) Shultz & Co Hardware (Angola, NY) Parkside Candy Company (Buffalo, NY) Palace Theatre: 1, 2 (Geneseo, NY) Ayres & Galloway Hardware (Middletown, NY) Interborough Subway (New York, NY) American Sign Museum (Cincinnati, OH) Hotel Rex (Rock Springs, WY) Opal Glass Flickr group (various cities) If you know of any other opal glass signs, I'd love to hear from you.

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