Walnut Hill Liquors

Walnut Hill Liquors, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Spotted this gem in Freeport, Illinois, as I was traveling along the Grant on my way to Iowa. Well seasoned, but a nice example of fifties/sixties neon goodness. Plus the glass still seems to be in good nick-I should go back that way and see if they still light it up!

Northgate

Northgate-Aurora, IL, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

The Northgate Shopping Center has been a fixture in Aurora, Illinois for decades. The buildings have been modernized down through the years, but it still has this excellent Googie style sign (the font practically date codes it to the mid 50's, don't it?). Sadly, most of the neon is now burned out, as well as several of the letters. Still, at least it's still standing.

The Catlow Theater

The Catlow Theater, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Vintage neon at the Catlow Theater in Barrington, Illinois. Opened in 1927, this single screen gem also hosted stage shows, and still has most of its vintage charm. I believe this sign dates from the postwar period, probably the fifties. It has that look about it.

And, in a bright bit of news, until late last year, the Catlow was facing an uncertain future, due to the movie studios moving towards all-digital formats over old fashioned film. Upgrading costs typically go to about $100,000 per screen, something the Catlow's owners couldn't afford. Fortunately, a Kickstarter campaign raised the necessary funding, and this absolute gem of a theater can continue to serve the Barrington area (as evidenced by the fact that Skyfall is on the marquee!).

Bowl-Mor Lanes

Bowl-Mor Lanes, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

When I become emperor of the whole world, I will decree that every bowling alley needs to have an interesting neon sign out front. Preferably a fifties style.

Spotted in Streator, IL.

The Colonial Motel

The Colonial Motel-Elgin, IL, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

I don't know much (okay, anything) about the Colonial Motel, except that it's on the east side of Elgin, just off U.S. Route 20, the Grant Highway. Which makes sense, because the Grant is a coast-to-coast road, and motels dot the length of it.

Oh, and it has this excellent fifties sign out front-I can totally imagine rolling up in an old '59 Chevy, back in the day.

The Guest House

The Guest House , a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Classic fifties motel on the north side of Chicago. The various signs here used to rotate, and must have looked amazing at night. I wonder if it stopped in this position-it's perfectly done to face the street-or if, when it broke, they moved everything around.

It's double sided too-the back says "MOTEL" and seems to have had a marquee on it as well.

24 Lanes

24 Lanes, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Sadly de-glassed, the Dodge Lanes sign in Belvidere, Illinois is a classic Googie-tastic slab.

Seriously, all bowling alleys should have awesome neon signs out front.

Holiday Motel

Holiday Motel, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Old motels have some of the best vintage neon. This classic, Googie-tastic piece of the glassbender's art is in Wisconsin Dells.

I wish it had been sunnier when I shot this. I'll have to go back in the spring, and maybe see if I can get it at night too.

The Sands

The Sands, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

This beauty is from the days when independent motels were the norm, rather than the exception. They always seemed to have these really cool names, often based on larger, more famous hotels. I can't imagine how many Sands Motels there must have been-The Sands in Vegas was very well known, so it would be a natural to copy.

This is a pretty well preserved old school Googie styled motel, complete with flagstone exteriors and funky lights. And dig the hourglass motif on the sign!