Frisch’s Mainliner sign restoration faces challenges following dismantling
WKRC file
The Year the Internet Started to Care About Architectural Preservation
From Dwell: “GULP!” began a late November Instagram post by Esotouric, a Los Angeles tour company focused on historic sites at the “secret heart” of the city. “Norm’s [sic] La Cienega, architectural and cultural landmark beloved by Angelenos and protected under the Los Angeles heritage ordinance, to become a Raising Cane’s chicken joint?” It seemed the national fast-food chain, which in 2021 purchased the Googie-style building designed by midcentury SoCal architects Louis Armet and Eldon Davis, was pursuing plans to kick out the existing diner when its lease ended in 2026, intending to use the space for one of its own outlets.
Nite Owl in Fall River to go in front of Community Preservation Committee concerning prospective restorations, repairs, and updates to the property
Photo by Mod Betty
From the Fall River Reporter: An iconic Fall River, MA, landmark could soon see new life.
Antone Dias, representing owner Joseph Nasrallah, went in front of the Historical Commission in March stating that Nasrallah is looking to sell or renovate the former Nite Owl Restaurant on the corner of Eastern Avenue and Pleasant Street and get it on the Fall River Register as a significant and historic place before hopefully getting on the National Register.
On Wednesday January 8th, 2025, the Nite Owl will have a funding hearing in front of the Community Preservation Committee.
Historic motorcycle shop sign uncovered in Sunnyside
A sign for “Sunnyside Yamaha-Honda” was recently uncovered on the 500 block of Yakima Valley Highway on Dec. 9, 2024. Job Wise | Sunnyside Sun
From the Sunnyside (WA) Sun: A piece of Sunnyside’s motorcycling history has been uncovered with the discovery of an old sign for “Sunnyside Yamaha-Honda” at 508 Yakima Valley Highway.
The shop’s roots trace back to the city’s first motorcycle shop, Pomeroy Cycle Shop, owned by the late Don Pomeroy, a racer in the late 1950s and 60s. Motorcycle racing was a family affair for the Pomeroys, with son Jim being the first American to win a World Championship Motocross event. He also won the Spanish Grand Prix in 1973, his debut in the series, at the age of 20.
Pomeroy Cycle Shop was located at the intersection of Yakima Valley Highway and 13th Street across from the current 410 Market, according to longtime Sunnyside resident and Washington Nitro Nationals spokesman John Nyboer, who also shared a surprising tidbit about the shop.
These sign makers are restoring LA to its neon glory, one display at a time
Signmakers LA crew restoring the neon sign for Vision Theatre in Leimert Park ( Courtesy Signmakers LA)
From LAist: Paul Stoakes came from England to Los Angeles in the mid-1980s with $40 in his pocket.
He bummed around and did odd jobs until finding his calling at a small company that makes signs — all kinds of them.
“ It’s got engineering and art. That’s basically what a sign is made from — and they’re two of my favorite subjects,” said Stoakes, who studied mechanical engineering.
Stoakes quickly plied his trade, and eventually started his own company. “We started off in a small double-car garage literally, then we went to a shop, then we got a bigger shop, now we’re in the biggest shop,” Stoakes said.
Diner hidden for 50 years in Winfield, couple hopes to restore it to its Wichita heyday
From KSN: WICHITA, Kan. — A Missouri couple discovered a piece of Wichita history.
KSN sat down with them to talk about the Valentine’s diner they bought, which had been hidden for nearly 50 years in Winfield at 19th and Manning.
The diner is believed to have opened in Wichita in 1947, then moved to Winfield. A building built around the structure hid it until the city moved to tear it down last year.