Historic Johnny’s Navajo Hogan building in Colorado Springs finally has a buyer
The former Johnny’s Navajo Hogan, at 2817 N. Nevada Ave., finally has a buyer. By STEPHANIE EARLS
From The Gazette: After being vacant and on the market for years after the second of two fires brought operations to a close in 2021, the former Johnny’s Navajo Hogan finally has a buyer.
The property at 2817 N. Nevada Ave. sold for $700,000 to Rocky Ocean properties #2, LLC, on Feb 6, according to public records from the El Paso County Assessor’s Office.
Rocky Ocean LLC, registered to Raul Gomez, is also listed as the owner of 232 Pueblo Ave., where the Green Line Grill is located, according to county records.
Iconic Downtown Diner Closes Its Doors After a Century of Service
After nearly 100 years of serving Angelenos, The Original Pantry Café has closed its doors for good, marking the end of a beloved downtown institution. Courtesy of Google Street View
From Los Angeles Magazine: A landmark L.A. institution served its final plates of hash browns and eggs on Sunday, bringing an end to a century-long legacy. The Original Pantry, the downtown diner that proudly claimed to have never locked its doors or gone without a customer for most of its existence, has closed its kitchen for good.
As Patch reports, the restaurant, which opened in 1924, shuttered amid a labor dispute between new ownership and the union representing its employees. The closure came just months after the diner was listed for sale following the 2023 death of former owner and L.A. Mayor Richard Riordan, whose trust had taken over operations.
Design Contest Seeks to Save Historic Building
Catherine Foley – Miller Tavern building. Photo by Jeramey Jannene
From Urban Milwaukee: The Milwaukee Preservation Alliance is ramping up its campaign to save a fire-damaged Historic Third Ward building.
The MPA is a nonprofit and Milwaukee’s leading preservation advocacy organization. It received the building, 266-272 E. Erie St., as a donation in early 2024.
The building was previously subject to a heated preservation debate, with owners General Capital Group and Joseph Property Development arguing to the Historic Preservation Commission that the building was beyond practical repair and a commission staffer stating the effort amounted to “demolition by neglect.”
This Midcentury Hollywood motel may soon become a historic monument — a first in L.A.
The Hollywood Premiere Motel has stood on Hollywood Boulevard since 1960. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)
From the Los Angeles Times: The Hollywood Premiere Motel hasn’t won any prizes lately. It has a 1.5 star rating on Trip Advisor, which ranks it 112th of 118 motels in Los Angeles.
“Never again,” writes one reviewer.
“I prefer to sleep in my car,” writes another.
But the motel’s chances of being named a Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument? Strong. In fact, the Hollywood Premiere might become the first motel on the city’s monuments list.
How the Morse Museum Brought Back an Orlando Icon
Part of the Merita Bread sign is on display at 30 S. Orange Ave. in downtown Orlando until April 1, thanks to restoration and upkeep by Winter Park’s Morse Museum. Photos by Jim Carchidi
From the32789: A beloved piece of local history is on display in downtown Orlando after a lengthy restoration process by Winter Park’s Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art. A panel from the red neon sign that adorned the roof of the Merita Bread bakery is at the corner of Orange Avenue and Pine Street for a public exhibit that kicked off during Creative City’s IMMERSE art festival.
The sign was a staple of the Orlando skyline for 50 years until the bakery closed in 2012. The November 2014 removal of the 48-foot-long, 18-foot-high structure lasted two days but according to Morse Museum Facilities and Security Manager Tom Mobley, the restoration took four months to complete.
Lost signs with rediscovered stories: Explore the New York Sign Museum
A tour attendee grabs a shot of a more contemporary sign – it was created by Noble Signs for a bar on the Lower East Side that changed its name a year later and then donated the sign back to the museum. Photo by Bob Krasner
From AMNY: “Signs, signs, everywhere are signs” — so goes the tune that could be a theme song for the New York Sign Museum.
The fledgling institution was created in 2019 by the co-owners of Noble Signs, David Barnett and Mac Pohanka, following the creation of their sign business in 2013 in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Now located in East New York, the Museum/Sign Shop gives tours on Fridays, with occasional special events such as the recent evening sponsored by Open House New York as a gathering for their members.
The pair, who have backgrounds in film set creation (Pohanka) and Graphic Design (Barnett) began salvaging old signs when they got hired to create new signage and decided to save the old ones and it just took off from there.