Safeway (formerly Futurama Bowl)
San Jose, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Check out the towering sign now advertising Safeway, with a shape left over from the former Futurama Bowl in San Jose. Fortunately, the supermarket found another use for the big marquee. The bowling pin at the top gave way to a Safeway emblem, but the sign kept much of its space-age personality.

Futurama Bowl opened in 1961, designed by Powers, Daly, and DeRosa. Its 42 lanes shared the complex with the Magic Carpet Room cocktail lounge, giving visitors a place to spend the evening whether their bowling game was cooperating or not.

The original sign made the attraction hard to miss. Four circles near its base spelled out “BOWL,” while the giant pin overhead helped explain the invitation. These days, the shopping list has changed, but the old framework still gives motorists something to admire.

UPDATE: Futurama Bowl closed in 1992, and Safeway reworked the sign in 1998. The supermarket remains at the site, with the repurposed marquee preserving a conspicuous piece of San Jose’s bowling-era scenery. Groceries replaced the games, but the roadside landmark got another turn. 10-26

American Ice Co.
Sacramento , CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

Here’s a rather eerie nighttime view of American Ice Co. in Sacramento. The dark doorway and old lettering give the place a little mystery after hours. Who’s behind that door? Probably someone with a much colder workplace than most.

The company dates its history to 1923, supplying ice long before a refrigerator in every kitchen could be taken for granted. Its business has continued with block ice, bagged party ice, and dry ice. Quite a range of ways to keep things chilly.

The plant stands beside Iceland, the historic skating rink devastated by fire in March 2010. That gives this stretch of Del Paso Boulevard a long connection to ice, both for practical use and for an evening on skates.

UPDATE: American Ice Co. continues advertising ice sales and deliveries from its Del Paso Boulevard location. 10-26

Gino and Carlo
San Francisco, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

Check out the glowing marquee for Gino & Carlo in San Francisco’s North Beach. The neon carries the two names out above the sidewalk, giving this neighborhood bar a nighttime introduction before anyone reaches the door. No need to order a drink to appreciate this part of the place.

The projecting sign catches the eye from down the street, adding another patch of color to North Beach’s evening scenery. While the pool games and conversation continue inside, the lettering outside keeps making its invitation. Quite a roadside delight for a bar with more than eight decades behind it.

Gino & Carlo opened in 1942 inside a former boarding house. The original namesakes eventually moved on, but their names stayed. Donato Rossi and Aldino Cuneo took over in 1956, and the Rossi family connection continues today. The business’s founding date doesn’t establish when this particular neon sign went up, but it gives the lettering plenty of history to represent.

UPDATE: Gino & Carlo remains open, with its familiar marquee still marking the North Beach bar. Drinks, pool, and sports continue inside, while the sign gives passing neon fans something to enjoy out on the sidewalk. 10-26

Econo-Doormasters
Belmont, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

Check out the friendly-looking fellow on the Econo-Doormasters sign. A garage-door business might not be the first place a traveler expects to find a roadside character, but this one gives the storefront a face of its own.

The company traces its Peninsula service history to 1939. Garage doors and automatic openers have changed quite a bit since then, while a cheerful mascot remains an easy way to catch someone’s attention from the road.

UPDATE: Econo-Doormasters remains in business, providing garage-door installation and repair. 10-26

Wonder Bread (Closed)
Sacramento, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

Here’s the big Wonder Bread lettering above Sacramento’s old bakery, announcing the business to motorists passing on the freeway. This was an advertisement built to be noticed from a moving car, with the familiar name raised well above the factory below.

The Arden Way plant became a local landmark for more than its sign. Former visitors remembered school field trips, while passing motorists recalled the smell of bread drifting from the building. A roadside sight that could catch the nose as well as the eye.

Wonder Bread and Hostess Cakes shared the rooftop announcement, giving the industrial building a connection to products found in kitchens and lunchboxes throughout the area. Quite a large sign for something that usually came home in a grocery bag.

UPDATE: Baking operations ended around the 2012–2013 Hostess shutdown and ownership transition. By 2015, plans called for adapting the property to new uses while retaining its freeway-facing lettering. 10-26