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| MISSOURI (page 1) |
| Buse's Flowers St. Charles, MO |
Airway Drive-in St. Ann, MO |
Tropicana Lanes Clayton, MO |
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Buse's Flowers opened in 1966. For more, see their website.
The Airway Drive-in opened in 1948 and closed in the 1980s. In 1991, the theatre was replaced with a "Shop 'N Save" grocery store and shopping center. The sign featuring a drum majorette was saved, restored and reconfigured (now the "Airway Center"). For more, see this website. The Tropicana Lanes opened in 1959 and at that time was the largest bowling center in the Midwest. For more, see this website. |
| Spencer's Grill Kirkwood, MO |
Crestwood Bowl Crestwood, MO |
Walter Knoll Florist [moved] Webster Groves, MO |
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Spencer's Grill opened in 1947 and the sign is from 1948.
The Crestwood Bowl opened in 1958. The fully-functioning neon sign is original and grandfathered in by the local sign ordinance. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. The Herman Knoll Florist shop (now Walter Knoll Florist) first opened in 1883. This storefront/signage looks to be late 1950s/early 1960s to me. They have since closed this store but the signage has supposedly been moved to their main store on La Salle St. in St. Louis. |
| Phil's BBQ St. Louis, MO |
Federhofer's Bakery St. Louis, MO |
Uncle Bill's Pancake House St. Louis, MO |
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Phil's BBQ has an old sign that appears to have been recently restored.
Federhofer's Bakery opened in 1957 and features an incredible neon sign. This Uncle Bill's Pancake House sign could really use some repairs and repainting. Uncle Bill's has several locations around St. Louis. In fact, there are others in CA and NJ but I don't think they are related. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. |
| Donut Drive-in St. Louis, MO |
California Donut Co. St. Louis, MO |
Savvi Formalwear St. Louis, MO |
Amoco sign St. Louis, MO |
Adler Frames St. Louis, MO |
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The Donut Drive-in sign was created in the early 1950s, however, the original business name remains unclear. The neon stopped working around 1993 and the sign crashed to the ground from internal rot in 2007. The sign was restored in 2008. The three-way flasher creates the effect of descending donuts on the side of the sign. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.
The California Donut Co. building, with its nice signage and façade, is now vacant. Savvi Formalwear sells tuxedos and other formal attire for men. The store was previously Gingiss Formalwear which opened here in 1970. The sign is believed to be from 1953 when Leonard's Tuxedo opened at this location. For more, see their website. The Amoco sign is the largest Amoco sign in the world - about 40' x 60'. It was built in the 1960s and was originally a Standard Oil sign. The service station is now a BP which bought out Amoco. Despite the demise of Amoco, the sign will remain. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. In 2006, the Adler Frame building was being converted into condos and a restaurant. Apparently, this sign will remain. The 1918 building was originally used for printing. For more, see this website. [photo thanks Glenda Campbell] |
| Lemmon's St. Louis, MO |
Trautwein's Shoes St. Louis, MO |
Skyway Auto Repair & Service St. Louis, MO |
State Bank Wellston, MO |
Cal's 2 California, MO |
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Lemmon's continues to operate as a restaurant and bar. They now feature live bands as well.
Trautwein's Shoes closed in 2003 but the sign and storefront displays are still there. For more, see this website. Skyway Auto Repair & Service features this giant wrench which was created in 2005. The wrench is 25' long and weighs about 900 pounds. The State Bank tower was erected in the late 1940s. The bank was known as the Sky Bank until the early 1950s. The tower bears both names. The bank closed in 2006 and it may be replaced with a Walgreens. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. [photo thanks Glenda Campbell] The Cal's 2 sign was built in the late 1990s. The bottle pours liquid into the glass with lighting in a very fun way. |
| Dryer's Shoes Columbia, MO |
Arrow Head Motel Columbia, MO |
Sunset Motel Sedalia, MO |
State Fair Shopping Center Sedalia, MO |
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Dryer's Shoes has been here since 1956. For more, see this website.
I believe the Arrow Head Motel is now closed and that a U-Haul distributor has been set-up on the property. They seem to be letting the sign stay. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. The Sunset Motel seems to be holding on. For more, see this website. The State Fair Shopping Center is just across the street from the Missouri State Fairgrounds. Does anyone know when this shopping center first opened? For more, see this website. |
| Diamonds Restaurant Villa Ridge, MO |
Gardenway Motel Villa Ridge, MO |
Sunset Motel Villa Ridge, MO |
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The Diamonds Restaurant was originally built in 1927 and claimed to be the "world's largest roadside restaurant". It was built in the shape of a baseball diamond. After a fire in 1948, it was rebuilt. Then in 1967, they moved east, taking this sign with them. This Diamonds is now gone but the moderne building from the 1940s remains and is now used as the Tri-County Restaurant/Truck Stop. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8.
The Gardenway Motel shares the billing on the old Diamonds sign. It has been around since at least the 1950s. For more, see this website. The Sunset Motel sign still stands but the place is apparently closed. |
| Rest Haven Court Springfield, MO |
Munger Moss Motel Lebanon, MO |
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The Rest Haven Court is from 1947 and features a sign from 1953 which resembles the Holiday Inn Great Sign. The Rest Haven Court started with eight rock-faced cottages and added twenty more in the 1950s. There was also an on-site gas station which was removed in 1955. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3.
The Munger Moss Motel opened in 1946 and is still operating. The owners were so impressed with the Rest Haven sign that they copied it when they updated their sign. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. |
| Glo Cleaners Springfield, MO |
Parakeet Apartments Springfield, MO |
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The Glo Cleaners rooftop sign looks like it might be Art Deco or maybe 1950s/1960s done in an Art Deco style. There is another Glo Cleaners in Dallas, TX so this must have been a far-reaching chain at one time. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.
The Parakeet Apartments was originally the Parakeet Motel. Most of the neon has been removed and the lettering repainted. For earlier views, see these websites: 1 and 2. |
| Country Club Center Springfield, MO |
Safe House-Pawn Springfield, MO |
Buckhorn Lanes Waynesville, MO |
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The Country Club Center opened in 1952. It was one of the first shopping centers built in Springfield after World War II.
Safe House-Pawn features this giant gun neon sign. Buckhorn Lanes features this giant bowling pin sign right next to the Interstate (I-44). |
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