Celebrating the Best in Preservation for 2024
Lower Garden District residents protesting a proposed bridge that would have destroyed the neighborhood. Camille and Duncan are standing in the middle. Photo courtesy of the Strachan Family.
From the National Trust for Historic Preservation: The 2024 National Preservation Awards are kicking off the start of this week’s PastForward conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. For over 6 decades, the awards have honored inspirational projects, individuals, and organizations that have demonstrated excellence in the field of preservation. This year’s list features extraordinary partnerships to preserve pivotal moments in civil rights history; the adaptive reuse of abandoned buildings into thriving educational centers; and the tireless advocacy of preservationists across generations.
Museum’s Neon Plaza attraction has grown to 40 signs, with several more in the pipeline waiting for renovation
From AOL: BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) – A couple of vintage neon signs is cute, even kind of quaint. Four neon signs? That’s impressive. But a whole courtyard full? That’s an attraction.
The Mission Bank Neon Plaza has 40 signs now, including three in the adjacent transportation exhibit and two in the attached Trolley Bar, with another four on deck: La Tapatia, Cay Health Food, Medeiros Auto Electric and that familiar monstrosity, Bail Bond Leon.
It, like most donations to the Neon Plaza, needs some TLC – just not too much TLC.
Blasts from the Past: Boise’s neon signs of yesteryear are set to have a new home downtown
Longtime residents of Boise will be able to recall some of the past businesses that once left their marks with their neon signage. Credit: Brian Myrick / Idaho Press
From KTBV 7: BOISE, Idaho — This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press.
“When you collect big things, people notice,” Vangie Osborn, creator of the upcoming Signs of Our Times gallery, said.
In the very near future, one area of downtown Boise will start to look quite older — a few decades older, in fact. This won’t be a product of rapid dilapidation, however; instead, it will be in an effort to bring character to an area of Boise that has been lacking in color.
Denny’s plots 150 closings as part of its growth strategy
The brand’s Achilles heel is the disparity between some stores, management said. Photo: Shutterstock
From Restaurant Business: Denny’s needs to close about a tenth of its stores before it can fully harness a comprehensive comeback plan that’s yielded encouraging early results, management informed Wall Street during the 71-year-old chain’s investor’s conference Tuesday.
Executives said they’ve tagged about 150 stores whose weak financial performance is sapping the whole system’s vitality. About half those units will be shut by the end of this year, with the rest slated to fire down their grills for good in 2025.
“We believe this is absolutely the right thing to do to make our system stronger,” company CEO Kelli Valade said in opening the daylong meeting with investors.
O’Rourke’s Diner building listed for sale in Middletown
Credit: Google Street View
From Fox 61: MIDDLETOWN, Conn. — The building of a long-time diner in Middletown that served patrons for generations has been listed for sale.
A local real estate group listed this week the building on 728 Main Street, which once operated as O’Rourke’s Diner. The current asking price for the 1,420-square-foot building is $429,000. There is one bathroom and a basement, which is another 1,420 square feet of space.
The diner, established in 1941 and recently closed its doors, was featured on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” as well as on food blog “Eat This, Not That!.”