Los Feliz Hotel
Glendale, CA Photo courtesy Devil Doll
Standing tall along Los Feliz Boulevard, the Los Feliz Hotel marquee offers a familiar roadside welcome near the Glendale–Los Angeles boundary. The neon lettering gives the lodging a presence above the passing traffic, recalling the years when spotting a promising hotel sign was part of finding a place to spend the night. After a long drive, a glowing name like this could be a welcome sight. 09-06
The tall display does much of the advertising before motorists get close enough to inspect the rooms below. Its stacked lettering makes good use of the vertical space, lifting the hotel’s name above the lower buildings and activity along the boulevard. Once darkness settles in, the illuminated letters and borders become the main attraction.
With Griffith Park and Glendale nearby, the hotel occupies a busy stretch where local traffic mixes with visitors making their way across the area. The sign brings a little of the older motor-court atmosphere to that everyday drive, when roadside lodging relied on a distinctive marquee to help travelers pick out the entrance.
For photographers, the attraction doesn’t require an overnight stay. A look back from the sidewalk after sundown offers a different view of the property, with the neon taking over from the daytime surroundings.
UPDATE: Los Feliz Hotel remains in operation, retaining its nostalgic neon sign. The familiar marquee continues to advertise a room for the night along Los Feliz Boulevard, carrying on a welcome that stands apart from the more uniform signs of newer lodging chains. 10-26
Ansonia Apartments
Los Angeles, CA Photo courtesy Michael Huhn
Dusk gives the Ansonia Apartments sign a chance to stand out against the building behind it. The projecting neon lettering announces a property whose history reaches back to the mid-1910s, recalling an earlier Los Angeles of substantial apartment buildings and residential hotels. The building was also associated with the James Edwards Hotel name. 04-06
Around Westlake, illuminated hotel and apartment signs once helped define the evening streetscape. They advertised more than an available room, giving each building a recognizable identity above the sidewalk. The Ansonia’s marquee belongs to that tradition, with its lettering providing a colorful introduction to the older structure.
UPDATE: The Ansonia continues in residential use, with its historic projecting sign remaining a distinctive feature of the building. This dusk view catches the neon taking over as daylight fades from the street. 10-26
Liquor Store
Melrose Blvd, Hollywood, CA Photo courtesy Devil Doll
A glowing arrow and some straightforward lettering take care of the advertising at this Liquor Store along Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. The sign announces what’s available, then points customers toward the place to find it. Sometimes a business didn’t need a complicated roadside introduction, just a bright name and an arrow aimed in the right direction. 09-06
The projecting marquee gives pedestrians and passing motorists a view down the street, while the neon adds a little extra presence after dark. Along an avenue known for unusual shops and colorful storefronts, even a neighborhood liquor stop could contribute something worth photographing.
Take a look at how the arrow works with the lettering. The words catch the eye first, then the shape draws attention toward the storefront below. It’s a simple arrangement that appeared in countless variations across Southern California, each with its own proportions, colors, and personality.
This nighttime view catches the sign doing exactly what it was built to do. Long after the details of the building begin to disappear into the darkness, the neon keeps the invitation visible above the sidewalk.
UPDATE: This photograph preserves the older neon arrow and lettering along Melrose Avenue. The store’s specific identity has not yet been established, leaving its familiar “Liquor Store” message to speak for itself. 10-26
Pink Elephant Liquor
Hollywood, CA Photo courtesy Devil Doll
There’s no need to question your eyesight when this pink elephant appears along Western Avenue. The neon mascot at Pink Elephant Liquor gives the Hollywood store an advertisement that’s hard to confuse with the neighbors. Glowing pink tubing and a bottle-bearing elephant make quite a combination above the sidewalk. 09-06
Animal characters have supplied some of Southern California’s most memorable commercial signs, and this fellow puts the store’s name to good use. Rather than relying on lettering alone, the marquee gives passing motorists a character to remember after they’ve driven down the block.
After dark, the outline becomes especially effective, with the neon separating the elephant from the surrounding storefronts. For sign watchers, it’s a welcome excuse to make another pass through the neighborhood once the lights come on.
UPDATE: Pink Elephant Liquor remains a neighborhood business on Western Avenue, with its familiar elephant marquee continuing to mark the storefront. The colorful character carries on a playful bit of Hollywood’s roadside scenery. 10-26
Dive N' Surf
Redondo Beach, CA Photo courtesy Kirk Maillet
Here's the Dive N' Surf in Redondo Beach, CA. Here's a shot of the Dive N' Surf shop with its neon lettering. Many thanks to Kirk Mailletfor info. 10-06
The shop’s story reaches back to 1953 and the work of Bev Morgan, Hap Jacobs, and twin brothers Bill and Bob Meistrell. The Meistrells bought into the business and helped develop and popularize the neoprene wetsuits associated with Body Glove, making this much more than an ordinary beach-town retail stop.
UPDATE: Dive N’ Surf remains in operation in Redondo Beach. Its illuminated storefront carries on the name of a business with deep roots in South Bay water sports and the Body Glove story. 10-26
Studio City Hand Car Wash
Studio City, CA Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
Although it isn’t neon, the giant hand at Studio City Car Wash certainly knows how to attract attention after dark. Holding a car above Ventura Boulevard, the enormous sculpture takes the idea of a hand wash quite literally. A few illuminated letters might have advertised the same service, but they probably wouldn’t have prompted nearly as many double takes. 01-07
The nighttime lighting gives the hand and its automotive cargo a theatrical appearance above the lot. It’s the sort of oversized roadside display that turns an everyday business into a landmark, useful for giving directions even to someone whose car is already clean.
Despite its older roadside feel, the giant hand was a later addition to the boulevard. Its installation in the late 1990s prompted a dispute over permits and sign regulations, giving this attention-getting advertisement a history beyond the wash bays below.
UPDATE: Studio City Hand Car Wash remains in business, and the giant hand continues to mark the entrance. The business embraces the landmark in its own directions: “Just Follow Giant Hand!” 10-26
Jack's Shoe Repair (Closed)
Bellflower, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Here’s the sort of neighborhood neon that once made a walk past the local shops worth taking after dark. Jack’s Shoe Repair in Bellflower advertised an everyday service with a sign that gave the storefront an identity of its own. Its lettering also proudly noted a business history dating to 1957.
Before replacing a worn pair of shoes became the easy answer, a neighborhood repair shop was a regular stop for new heels, soles, and another stretch of use from a favorite pair. Jack’s sign recalls that practical side of main street, where even a small service business could have some memorable neon outside.
UPDATE: Jack’s Shoe Repair has closed, and the original projecting neon sign has been removed. The photograph preserves a little of Bellflower’s neighborhood shopping history and a business that put its years of service right on the marquee. 10-26
Liquor Store
Jack's Shoe Repair (Closed)
