Gallery Florist
San Diego, CA Photo courtesy M.C. Morrissey
A bright marquee gives Gallery Florist a little extra presence after dark. Check out the clock built into the sign face. Flowers and the time of day, all available with one glance toward the roadside.
The clock adds an interesting touch to the usual storefront advertising. While the lettering announces the business, the hands offer a useful excuse to keep looking. Perhaps a reminder that there’s still time to pick up those flowers.
UPDATE: The clock gives this marquee a distinctive place among the neighborhood signs in the collection. A practical little feature, and one more detail to admire once the lights come on. Apparently the florist wanted passing motorists to stop and smell the roses without losing track of the hour. 10-26
Fisherman's Landing
San Diego, CA Photo courtesy M.C. Morrissey
Down by the San Diego waterfront, Fisherman’s Landing makes its sportfishing business known with a big neon announcement. This is no small notice tucked into a window. The sign gives anglers and passing travelers plenty to look at before reaching the docks.
UPDATE: Fisherman’s Landing continues operating in Point Loma, serving sportfishing customers and the boats heading out from the waterfront. Its large roadside sign remains part of the landing’s familiar appearance, giving the dockside businesses a little glow after dark. 10-26
Silver Gate Masonic Temple
North Park, CA Photo courtesy M.C. Morrissey
Over in North Park, the Silver Gate Masonic Temple gives the evening streetscape a little extra glow. Check out the neon lettering against the building’s distinctive facade. This is a place worth a look during the day, with another reason to return after sunset.
Built in 1931, the temple was designed by the Quayle Brothers with a blend of Art Deco and Egyptian Revival influences. The geometric details give the exterior plenty of character before the lights even come on. Quite a backdrop for an old neon display.
The lettering adds to the atmosphere without taking over the whole building. There’s plenty to notice around it, making this a good stop for those who enjoy the architecture as much as the signs. The temple certainly didn’t settle for an ordinary meeting-hall appearance.
UPDATE: The Silver Gate temple retains much of its original architectural character, including historic exterior neon documented by SOHO. The building also accommodates events under the Silver Star Events name, giving the longtime gathering place another role in the neighborhood while keeping its distinctive older appearance. 10-26
North Park Sign
San Diego, CA Photo courtesy M.C. Morrissey
With the sun setting behind it, the North Park sign gets ready for its evening turn along University Avenue. The familiar lettering gives the neighborhood a bright announcement, becoming part of the scenery whether heading out for dinner or simply passing through.
There’s a long history behind the name overhead. The first neighborhood sign was installed in 1935, suspended above University Avenue and 30th Street. The current version brought that familiar identity back in a different arrangement, standing on a pedestal in the roadway median.
UPDATE: The present North Park sign was installed in 1993, recalling the earlier sign’s appearance rather than surviving as the original structure. Its median location near 30th Street keeps the neighborhood name prominently in view, with plenty of roadside appeal once the neon takes over from the sunset. 10-26
Funcheon Building (Gone) Mission Hills, CA Photo courtesy M.C. Morrissey
An arrow at the Funcheon Building points the way, though the destination leaves a little room for wondering. And just what is a Funcheon, anyway? In this case, a building name with an unusual ring to it, giving passing travelers something else to puzzle over besides the direction of the sign.
The Mission Hills commercial building dates to 1929 and features Spanish Colonial Revival styling. Its older storefront character recalls the neighborhood’s streetcar days, when shops clustered along the routes customers used to get around town.
UPDATE: The historic Funcheon frontage was preserved as part of the Paseo de Mission Hills redevelopment. City action in 2005 required restoration of the building’s retained historic portions, allowing some of the older commercial streetscape to carry on amid the newer construction. 10-26
Stern's Gym Neon (Closed)
San Diego, CA Photo courtesy M.C. Morrissey
After dark, the Stern's Gym marquee gave Granada Avenue a little extra muscle. Its glowing lettering marked the longtime North Park gym, where the workout began upstairs and the roadside attraction was already waiting outside.
Founded by Leo Stern in 1946, the gym became part of San Diego’s weightlifting history. The old neon suited a place known for its straightforward approach to training. No elaborate sales pitch needed here. The name above the door did the announcing.
UPDATE: Stern’s announced its closure in May 2024, ending a decades-long run at the Granada Avenue location. The departure marked a change for a building long associated with the gym upstairs and New Life Laundry below. Another familiar neighborhood business reached the end of its old routine. 10-26
New Life Laundry
San Diego, CA Photo courtesy M.C. Morrissey
Downstairs from Stern’s Gym, New Life Laundry contributed its own neon to the Granada Avenue scenery. Check out the way the light catches the wall beside the sign. A laundry stop could come with a small evening show before any shirts were picked up.
The business occupied the ground floor beginning in 1961, becoming a longtime companion to the gym above. Between the two signs, this older North Park building had plenty to announce after dark. Clean clothes below, another workout upstairs.
The projecting laundry sign brought its lettering out toward the street, where customers could spot it while approaching the building. Its flashing light added a little movement to the facade. Apparently the washing machines weren’t the only things expected to keep cycling.
Together, the laundry and gym made an unusual but familiar neighborhood pairing. One business helped wear out the workout clothes, while the other offered a place to clean them. A convenient arrangement for anyone making regular trips to both.
UPDATE: New Life Laundry closed as the property prepared for new tenants and food-and-beverage use in 2024. Its departure ended the familiar laundry-and-gym pairing, changing a building that had housed everyday neighborhood services for decades. Another piece of North Park’s old commercial routine came to an end. 10-26
Danny's Palm
San Diego, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
A glowing marquee marks Danny’s Palm, giving Orange Avenue another reason to catch the eye after dark. This longtime watering hole is in Coronado, across the bay from San Diego, where the name has become familiar to generations of customers.
The sign offers a bright welcome above the entrance, the sort of invitation that looks especially good once the evening settles in. Whether heading inside or just passing along the sidewalk, there’s a little roadside neon to admire before continuing down the avenue.
Inside, military memorabilia and Navy connections add to the bar’s local character. Danny’s has long been associated with the SEAL community, with insignia and keepsakes contributing to the surroundings. Plenty to look over while waiting for something from the bar or grill.
UPDATE: Danny’s Palm Bar & Grill continues operating in Coronado. Although the tavern has often been said to date to 1907, a corrected local history account specifically cautions that The Palm did not open that year. The longtime bar carries on its neighborhood and military connections, with plenty of history without that particular date attached to it. 10-26
Gallery Florist
Fisherman's Landing
Silver Gate Masonic Temple
Funcheon Building (Gone)
Danny's Palm
