| Super Signage |
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| MASSACHUSETTS (page 2) |
| Chisholm's Motel Saugus, MA |
Ferns Motel Saugus, MA |
Route 1 Miniature Golf Saugus, MA |
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Chisholm's Motel was built in the late 1930s or early 1940s. This sign has been moved to the parking lot behind the motel and a newer one is now in front.
Ferns Motel was built in 1952. In 2003, their old sign was replaced with the modern plastic one shown above. For more photos of Route 1 Miniature Golf, see my mini golf page. |
| Kane's Doughnut House Saugus, MA |
Karl's Sausage Kitchen Saugus, MA |
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Kane's Doughnut House opened in 1955. They are best known for their giant coffee rolls. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
Karl's Sausage Kitchen opened here in 1958. They are famous in the Boston area for their German meat products. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. |
| Hilltop Steak House Saugus, MA |
Hilltop Steak House [closed] Springfield, MA |
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| Hilltop Steak House (closed) Braintree, MA |
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The Hilltop Steak House's original restaurant in Saugus has an 80' tall cactus sign. Frank Giuffrida took over the Hilltop in 1961 and the sign was built in 1964. He sold it to a partner in 1988 and it was then bought by a Denver-based oufit. It is one of the largest steakhouses in the U.S. and one of the five biggest-volume restaurants in the country. They had a mail order business at one time as well. There are two floors of dining rooms with a couple theme rooms (the Carson City room and the Virginia City room). It is famous for its 24 ounce bone-in sirloin. For more of their fiberglass bulls, see this page. [night photo thanks to DinerFan]
I don't know when the Springfield location opened. By 2005, it appeared to have been closed for awhile and the building was undergoing asbestos removal. The building was demolished in 2006 and the sign removed in 2007. The Braintree location opened around 1986. It occupied a former Valley's Steak House whose cool, 1960s folded-plate exterior entrance has been preserved. The interior was typical Steakhouse Modern. The sign replicated the one in Saugus and there were lots of fiberglass bulls around the building. In a 2007 auction, the bulls were sold and the sign went for $100. The property will now be used for a Toyota dealership. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. |
| Skip's Restaurant [closing] Chelmsford, MA |
Fowle's Drug Store Newburyport, MA |
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Skip's Restaurant opened as Kidd's Diner in 1930. Around 1947, the name was changed and this replacement sign was installed. The sign is gorgeous - day or night. Skip's had a great homemade ice cream stand next door with a giant milk bottle on the roof. It was announced in 2008 that they would be closing to make way for a strip mall. For more, see this website.
Fowle's Drug Store has been around since about 1850. Fowle's features a marble-countered soda fountain with stools. The neon sign is from the late 1930s and was refurbished in 2003. The façade is Cararra glass. For more, see this website. |
| Glendale Package Store Waltham, MA |
Wal-Lex Recreation Center (closed) Waltham, MA |
Squeeze sign Adams, MA |
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The Glendale Package Store and sign are from 1955.
The Wal-Lex had it all including this great sign. CVS is interested in the site. The Squeeze sign advertises locally made Squeeze Beverages. Squeeze made about 36 flavors of soda. The company was founded in 1920 and was one of the few independent bottlers left in New England. Although the building on which this sign hangs is no longer the bottling plant. In 2004, Squeeze was bought by a Florida beverage company. For more, see this website. |
| The Owl Shop Worcester, MA |
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| The Owl Shop opened in 1946 and this sign has been in place since then. In New Haven, CT, there is another Owl Shop which has a similar sign, though not as old or nice. Although they opened even earlier (1934), I can't find any info about a relationship between the two stores. |
| Brite & White Cleaners Worcester, MA |
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| Brite & White Cleaners has two other locations in town but I don't know if they have this nice old signage. [photos thanks DinerFan] |
| Olympic Sporting Goods & Trophy Worcester, MA |
R&R Plumbing Worcester, MA |
Benny's Home & Auto Taunton, MA |
Swift Cleaners Greenfield, MA |
Dunkin' Donuts [gone] Brighton, MA |
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Olympic Sporting Goods & Trophy first opened in 1938. Their focus these days is on promotional products (mugs, jackets and the like customized with custom logos, etc.). For more, see their website.
The R&R Plumbing sign is encased in plastic to protect the neon which creates an animated drip and splash. R&R has been around since 1905. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. Benny's Home & Auto is a local chain that has been around since 1924. [photo thanks DinerFan] Swift Cleaners has a great, old rooftop sign. The blue blade sign behind once advertised for the same business from the other side of the building. Swift is still in operation. This Dunkin' Donuts had the last of the original signs. It was taken down in 2008 and replaced with a plastic box sign. The old sign is now in a sign yard and looking for a buyer. Their first store opened in Quincy, MA in 1950 and this sign was from 1957. Today, Dunkin' has over 5,000 stores in the U.S. and internationally. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [photo thanks DinerFan] |
| C&T Paint & Wallpaper Natick, MA |
Big Bunny Market Southbridge, MA |
Toll House Whitman, MA |
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C&T Paint & Wallpaper features this somewhat 3-D sign of a painter on a metal ladder.
The Big Bunny Market has this billboard style sign above its entrance. For more, see this website. The Toll House sign remains from the Toll House Inn which burned down in 1984. This was the birthplace of the Toll House chocolate chip cookie in 1937. The recipe is still printed on the back of Nestlé chocolate chip bags. The original toll house was built in 1709 (referenced by the sign). The sign has been moved a couple times and is about to be moved again. As of 2006, it is undergoing restoration. The bell ringer's arm is being replaced, the letters are being repaired, and the sign will be repainted the original colors. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. |
| Market Basket Lowell, MA |
Haffner's Gasoline Lowell, MA |
Merrimac Rug & Linoleum Lowell, MA |
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This Market Basket sign has a great, still-functioning clock. The supermarket is located in the Sunrise Shopping Center. As of 2008, the shopping center is now slated for demolition and redevelopment. It's not clear what will become of this sign. The Haffner's Gasoline sign features their trademark animated donkey and motto "It Kicks!". There are 14 locations in this chain of service stations and car washes in MA and NH. By 2007, this sign was missing some letters and as of 2008, it has not been repaired. For more, see this website. Merrimac Rug & Linoleum features a nice old building and sign. However, as of 2008, their building was for sale and I'm not sure if this business will survive. For more, see their website. Broadloom carpeting is part of Lowell's history. In 1841, the first steam-powered looms were developed in this mill town. |
| New England Neon Exhibit National Heritage Museum Lexington, MA |
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| This 2003 New England Neon Exhibit featured over 20 signs from the 1920s to 1970s. The 23 signs were mostly from the collection of Dave and Lynn Waller. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. |
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More MA Signs:
Fontaine's Restaurant: 1, 2 (West Roxbury) [gone] |
| MA (page 1) |
| Main Signs Page | Links & Books |
| [Main Roadside Page] |
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