| Super Signage |
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| SATELLITE SIGNS |
| Dixie Liquor Dyersburg, TN |
One Stop Auto Sales Austin, TX |
Walli's Restaurant Burton, MI |
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Dixie Liquor has a neon sign topped with what looks like a giant toy jack. The six metal spikes are outlined with neon and mounted on a square central element. This star-like add-on measures 13 feet across and was mass-produced in the 1960s by the Standard Neon Supply Company. This was their Neo-Lectra model which featured "scintillating" flashing action. This type of sign did not rotate. Dixie Liquor has restored this sign a few times but it is a frequent target for rock-throwing vandals and they have stopped repairing it.
One Stop Auto Sales also has a Neo-Lectra. The neon looks in good shape. Does anyone know if this sign is still lit at night? The Walli's Restaurant sign is surmounted by two Neo-Lectras. Walli's had at least four restaurants in the Flint, MI area. One of their signs had a Roto-Sphere which is not located at the Dort Mall. |
| Century Motorcycles San Pedro, CA |
Ranch House Cafe Vaughn, NM |
Sav-Mart Wenatchee, WA |
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Century Motorcycles opened here in 1962. This Neo-Lectra was put up at that time. The plastic part of the sign was still intact in 2006. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.
The long-closed Ranch House Cafe has another surviving Neo-Lectra. Sav-Mart has been here since the 1960s. In 2004, only one of the Neo-Lectra arms was lit at night. |
| Mohr & Mohr Housing Elkhart, IN |
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| This Neo-Lectra is installed on top of the sign for Mohr & Mohr Housing which is obviously a recent tenant. Just down the road is Tops Home Center which has a sign using this same top-like shape. It's my hunch that whatever this sign advertised for originally might have been related to that business. Does anybody know what was here? |
| Brown Boys Yakima, WA |
Hockomock Plaza West Bridgewater, MA |
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The Brown Boys Neo-Lectra is partially lit at night. The flasher works on four of the six arms. The sign was moved here around 2003 from Courtesy Motors in Union Gap, WA. For more, see this website.
The Hockomock Plaza star is a Neo-Lectra Jr., also produced by Standard Neon Supply Company. This sign used to spin but I don't know if it still does. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. |
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More Neo-Lectras:
Sinbad Motel (Miami, FL) [gone] Grigg's Motel (Richmond, KY) Roxy's Drive-in: 1, 2 (Benton Harbor, MI) [gone] 28-70 Food Mart (Lexington, NC) [gone] Milner Western Motel (Santa Rosa, NM) [vintage; gone] |
| Montana Motel El Paso, TX |
Lone Star Motor Company El Paso, TX |
Cascade Car Wash El Paso, TX |
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The Montana Motel features a satellite element that I haven't seen anywhere else before. It doesn't look like it ever rotated but I could be wrong. There is another identical sign element nearby at Viva Chevrolet.
This satellite sign stands on the lot of the Lone Star Motor Company building. It looks identical to the one at the Montana Motel. The Cascade Car Wash sign is similar but with fatter arms. |
| Premiere Lanes Santa Fe Springs, CA |
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| The Premiere Lanes sign features nine Sputnik additions. The bowling alley closed in 2008 and its contents were auctioned off. The buildings will be demolished and this sign is endangered. For more, see this website. |
| Reno Arch Reno, NV |
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| The Reno Arch was originally constructed in 1926. The sign has changed and been rebuilt over the years. In 1964, a star-like element was added to the top. In 1987, a new arch was created by YESCO. This current sign still includes a giant star. The lights at the tips of the star are lit at night. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. |
| City of Cars [gone] Orlando, FL |
Double A Motel Fremont, OH |
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The City of Cars sign appeared to have been inspired by the Roto-Sphere. This style sign featured a greater number of spikes. These spikes were also fatter and edged with neon. There were originally two of these rotating signs at this car lot. I believe this design was called a Moravian Star but I don't know how many were produced. This is the only one I have ever seen. It stood on this vacant lot for many years until 2008 when a new car dealership was built. I believe this sign was demolished.
The Double A Motel and Dixie Liquor Store signs feature fewer spikes and square central elements. The metal spikes on the Double A star are each tipped with a light bulb. Management has found it impractical to replace them due to the sign's height. |
| Bel Aire Motel Springfield, IL |
Skid's Drive-in #1 Burlington, NC |
satellite sign Las Cruces, NM |
City Glass Co. San Bernardino, CA |
Blue Star Drive-in Long Beach, CA |
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The Bel Aire Motel and Skid's Drive-in signs are very similar. The spikes' tips are accented with bulbs like the Double A Motel sign shown above. These signs did not rotate. The Bel Aire Motel sign is not lit anymore. The Skid's sign uses round bulbs on its sphere and longer bulbs on its spikes. This non-rotating sign is mounted on a rooftop pole and its bulbs still flash in a Christmas tree light pattern. Skid's opened in 1949 and management believes this sign was installed in the 1950s.
The Las Cruces sign is another example of this type. It is installed on a pole in front of an unidentified business east of town. The City Glass Co. sign is mounted on their roof. The Blue Star Drive-in sign is installed on top of their rooftop sign. This ball features more bulb sockets than the others. |
| Park Plaza Bailey, CO |
C&S Car Co. II Waterloo, IA |
Zoobie's Old Town Tavern Lansing, MI |
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The Park Plaza, a newish-looking strip mall, features this sputnik above their sign. Does anyone know where it came from originally?
The sputnik at C&S Car Co. II is installed above the company's pole sign. The building appears to be an adapted gas station. Does anyone know where this sign came from or how long it has been here? The Zoobie's Old Town Tavern satellite ball seems a little smaller than the others shown here. I don't know if there were different manufacturers or if these signs were available in different sizes. This one does appear to be vintage. |
| Wagon Wheel Restaurant Escondido, CA |
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| The Wagon Wheel Restaurant opened in 1953. Their rooftop sign is identical to the ones at the Bel Aire Motel and Skid's Drive-in above. There is also plywood sign of horses looking on. |
| Brown's Service Center Paris, IL |
Stewart's Root Beer Burlington, NJ |
Pushnik's Diner Lebanon, PA |
Corral Bar Gallatin Gateway, MT |
White Star Cleaners Houma, LA |
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These four signs represent a style that was fairly common. However, there are very few left now. The sockets allowed the owner to choose from a variety of bulbs: long and clear, colored and stubby, or a combination of both. The bulbs would pulsate in a pattern. The spheres did not rotate.
The top tubes of the Brown's Service Center sign are now broken off and the ball is not lit. Brown's has only been here since 1988. They believe that this sign was used by the gas station which was here originally. Does anyone know the complete story behind this sign? The Stewart's Root Beer sign is still lit at night. The former Pushnik's Diner has changed names and owners several times and is currently vacant and for sale. The sign looks like it's in good shape. The Corral Bar sign uses the stubby bulbs. It seems out of place out in Big Sky country near Yellowstone National Park. White Star Cleaners has a neon sign which is accented with this pulsating ball. The sign was installed in 1960. Their "Sputnik" features clear bulbs which flash in a rhythmic pattern. The ball never rotated. |
| Simple Simon Shoppes Spartanburg, SC |
Trophies Bar & Grill Columbus, OH |
Helen's Place Fort Wayne, IN |
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Simple Simon Shoppes features this rooftop sign and another freestanding sign.
This Columbus spiked ball is mounted way up on a pole in front of Trophies Bar & Grill. There was previously a record store here. Does anyone know the original business that this spiked ball was associated with? This Fort Wayne spiked ball is installed in front of Helen's Place which sells used clothing and furniture. Does anyone know what business this sign was originally associated with? |
| Fontana Motel San Antonio, TX |
Belleair Village Motel Largo, FL |
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The Fontana Motel sign features a spiked ball on top of its plastic sign which was most likely neon originally.
The Belleair Village Motel opened in 1965. The neon on the motel's sign is well-maintained. The ball on top, which is still lit, is approximately three feet in diameter and holds about 300 bulbs. It originally rotated and flashed. |
| Satellite Inn Alamogordo, NM |
Laurel Lounge Oakland, CA |
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The Satellite Inn is topped with a 3-D atomic symbol. I don't know if this sign ever revolved or it it originally had neon elements. Alamogordo was known as the Rocket City due to its proximity to the White Sands Missile Range. There are several space age signs in town including this one. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.
The Laurel Lounge opened in 1948. The plastic sputnik-y element must have been added to the top of its sign in the 1960s. For more, see this website. |
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More Satellite-Style Signs:
Satellite Burger (Crescent City, CA) [gone?] Tower Theatres (Fresno, CA) former Basque restaurant (Guadalupe, CA) Vogue Theatre (Los Angeles, CA) Clubhouse (San Luis Obispo, CA) Satellite Lodge (Ukiah, CA) [vintage; gone] Space Station Gas (Steamboat Springs, CO) Lucky Liquor (Shreveport, LA) abandoned sign (Jefferson City, MO) unknown location (Sunrise Beach, MO) Biff Burger (Greensboro, NC) Satellite Motel (Omaha, NE) Atomic Signs (Farmington, NM) Las Vegas Drive In Theatre (Las Vegas, NV) American Sign Museum (Cincinnati, OH) Piggie Park: 1, 2 (Charleston, SC) [gone] Simple Simon Shoppes (Spartanburg, SC) Mardi Gras Motel: 1, 2 (Waco, TX) Columbian Motel (Provo, UT) unidentified business (Babcock, WI) My Flickr Group: Roto-Spheres & Sputnik Signs If you know of any other signs like these, I'd be very interested to hear about them. |
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