Elephant Car Wash (Gone)
Seattle, WA
Photo courtesy Chris Richey

It’s hard not to smile at the giant pink Elephant Car Wash sign. With its trunk raised and little bulbs suggesting a spray of water, this cheerful pachyderm made washing the car look like an attraction all by itself. The rotating display gave passing motorists plenty to watch while they waited for the light to change. This is one of the One of the family of Elephant car washes.

The downtown Seattle location opened in 1956, six years before the Space Needle welcomed its first visitors. Designed by Beatrice Haverfield, known as Seattle’s Queen of Neon, the elephant became one of the city’s most familiar commercial landmarks. Apparently, you didn’t need a towering observation deck to make an impression on Seattle’s skyline.

UPDATE: The downtown car wash closed in 2020, but both elephant signs were saved. The larger rotating elephant entered MOHAI’s collection, while the smaller sign was restored and installed near Amazon’s headquarters in 2022. That’s an important distinction if you’re heading out to photograph a pink elephant. 07-26