Wurlitzer Arcade
Photo courtesy Jay Lin

The Wurlitzer Arcade took the familiar jukebox shape and enlarged it into an entrance. A rounded top, colorful trim, and rows of lights made the facade look like something that belonged beside a diner booth rather than around a doorway. Here, the building supplied its own oversized advertisement.

Classic Wurlitzer jukeboxes combined music with illuminated decoration, making them natural models for an entertainment business. This entrance borrowed that visual appeal, turning the approach to the arcade into part of the attraction. After dark, the lighting emphasized the curved outline and gave visitors another reason to stop before heading inside.

UPDATE: The arcade's exact location and present status remain unidentified. Anyone who recognizes this giant jukebox entrance is welcome to share its history and help establish whether this unusual piece of novelty architecture survives. 11-26

Beale Street
Memphis, TN
Photo courtesy Jay Lin

In Memphis Tennessee, Beale Street is the main attraction. The traffic is closed off on Saturday nights as the boulevard is filled with the sights and sounds of blues musicians and street performers. A veritable neon smorgasbord awaits the visual senses. Many thanks to Jay Lin for info.

Known as the Home of the Blues, Beale became associated with musicians including W.C. Handy and B.B. King. The street experienced years of decline before redevelopment brought renewed activity during the 1980s. Its revival combined that musical history with restaurants, clubs, and the colorful advertising that makes the district so memorable after dark.

UPDATE: Beale Street remains an active entertainment district, with live music and neon continuing to draw visitors downtown. The businesses change, but the combination of illuminated signs and Memphis blues remains central to the experience. 11-26

Big Daddy's (Gone)
New Orleans, LA
Photo courtesy Chris Richey

Only on Bourbon Street. The Big Daddy's sign was hard enough to miss, but add a pair of fishnet-covered legs swinging above the sidewalk and you had one of New Orleans' more risque neon landmarks.

Big Daddy's opened in 1967 and became one of Bourbon Street's longest-running strip clubs. Those famous mechanical legs eventually became almost as recognizable as the club itself, even turning up in Clint Eastwood's 1984 movie Tightrope and Aerosmith's "Rag Doll" video.

For anyone wandering Bourbon Street after dark, this was certainly one sign that got your attention.

UPDATE: Big Daddy's closed in October 2008, and the neon sign and swinging legs were removed. 08-26

Liberty Laundry
Louisville, KY
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

The Liberty Laundry, also located in Louisville, sports a marquee that lights up the roadside. Check out the little coin image on this sign. 10-05

Signs like this combined a business name with a recognizable symbol, helping motorists understand the service at a glance. Liberty's design made an everyday errand more visually interesting, especially when the tubing illuminated the lettering and small decorative details. It was modest commercial advertising with enough character to deserve a photograph.

UPDATE: The laundry's exact location and the sign's present whereabouts remain unconfirmed. Additional information could help identify what became of this distinctive Louisville advertisement. 11-26

The Pearl (Closed)
New Orleans, LA
Photo courtesy Chris Richey

The vertical neon at The Pearl gave St. Charles Avenue a restaurant landmark worth looking up for. Large letters climbed above the sidewalk, announcing the oyster bar with the confidence of a business that had occupied its place for decades. After dark, the glowing sign supplied another colorful detail near the edge of the French Quarter.

Founded in the late 1920s, The Pearl served oysters, gumbo, turtle soup, and po-boys in an old-fashioned restaurant setting. Its counter and familiar menu made it a downtown stop for generations. The restaurant also appeared in crime fiction, including James Lee Burke's novels, adding a literary connection to its local history.

UPDATE: The Pearl closed in September 2015 after more than eighty years in business. Its distinctive vertical sign remained after the restaurant's departure, preserving the familiar name above St. Charles Avenue even after the kitchen stopped serving. 11-26

5 Points Pontiac
Albemarle, NC
Photo courtesy Tony Craig

Here's one great old Pontiac sign that's still doing its job long after the cars stopped rolling out of the showroom. The neon sign at 5 Points Pontiac in Albemarle features the old Indian Chief Pontiac logo, complete with glowing neon that really comes alive after dark.

The building dates back to the early 1900s and was home to Morgan Motor Company, the local Pontiac dealership. Its old showroom sat right at the busy five-way intersection that gave the place its 5 Points name.

The dealership is long gone, but fortunately the building and its Pontiac sign stuck around. The old automotive space was restored and later became Five Points Public House, with plenty of reminders of its dealership days still visible. And when that old Pontiac chief lights up at night, you almost expect to see a row of shiny new Pontiacs sitting out front.

UPDATE: The former dealership remains home to Five Points Public House, and the vintage Pontiac neon sign still lights up downtown Albemarle. 08-26

Paul Miller Ford (Rem.)
Lexington, KY
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

You'd have a hard time driving past this one without noticing it. The towering neon marquee for Paul Miller Ford stood high above New Circle Road in Lexington, glowing brightly enough to make sure everyone knew where the Fords were. 10-05

Paul Miller started the dealership in 1953 and moved it out to New Circle Road in 1964, back when the area was still well outside the main business district. Ford reportedly wasn't too sure customers would make the drive, but that certainly didn't last long.

The dealership itself was pretty hard to miss, with its unusual sweeping concrete roof and that giant Ford sign standing out front. Once the neon came on at night, there was no mistaking where you were.

UPDATE: Paul Miller Ford remains in business at its longtime New Circle Road location. The tall sign structure survives, but the vintage neon photographed here has been replaced with modern signage. 08-26

Farmer's Jewelry
Lexington, KY
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

Need a watch or maybe something that sparkles? The tall neon sign for Farmer's Jewelry has been standing along Euclid Avenue in Lexington for years, making this neighborhood jewelry store pretty hard to miss. With the letters stacked high above the sidewalk, it's the kind of sign that looks even better once the sun goes down. 10-05

Bill and Jean Farmer opened the store here in 1950 after Bill finished watchmaking school in Louisville. More than 75 years later, the family business is still right where it started at 821 Euclid Avenue. Three generations of the Farmer family have worked behind the counter, selling jewelry and watches to generations of Lexington customers.

And while plenty has changed along Euclid Avenue since 1950, that great old vertical sign is still hanging outside. The double-sided neon was made for passing traffic, letting everyone coming down the street know exactly where to find Farmer's. It's nice to find an old neon sign that's not hanging over an empty storefront. Stop by Farmer's after dark and you can still see this one doing the same job it has been doing for decades.

UPDATE: Farmer's Jewelry remains open at its longtime Euclid Avenue location, and the vintage neon sign still lights up the storefront. 08-26

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