Art Deco Movie Theater Lights Up San Francisco Once More
The original 70-foot blade sign and marquee were rehabilitated and relit with new neon to reflect Timothy Pfleuger’s attention-catching design.
From the National Trust for Historic Preservation: Constructed in 1916, San Francisco’s iconic New Mission Theater features prominent designs from some of the city’s most significant architects. The theater was originally built by the Reid Brothers and then redesigned in 1932 by Art Deco master Timothy Pfleuger. After New Mission closed in 1993, it was abandoned and fell into disrepair. Local organizations and residents advocated for the restoration of this beloved community hub for years until Alamo Cinema Drafthouse purchased it and embarked on its rehabilitation process.
Commission Clarifies Limits, Adds Funds to Route 66 Neon Grant Program
From Tulsa Public Radio: A grant program to encourage neon signs along Tulsa’s stretch of Route 66 is proving so popular, the commission funding them is clarifying how many grants people can apply for.
Tulsa Route 66 Commission member Amanda De Cort said with a business owner recently asking whether they can apply for multiple grants for multiple signs at one location, they’re instituting a policy.
Celebrating a Shrine to Kitsch Where Andy Warhol Drank Iced Hot Chocolate
Andy Warhol and Stephen Bruce at Serendipity 3, circa 1962. John Ardoin
From the New York Times Style Magazine: It’s difficult, now, to remember a time before the frozen dessert beverage. Those of us who grew up with Frappuccinos and Coffee Coolattas can’t imagine shopping malls without them; they are woven into the high-fructose fabric of America. Nearly two decades before Starbucks first opened in 1971, a trio of enterprising young roommates in Manhattan were churning melted chocolate and ice in a blender on the Upper East Side, laying the groundwork for so many after-school treats sucked through plastic straws half a century later, and launching one of New York’s most iconic restaurants.
The Texas Roadside Photographer Who Finds Beauty in the Banal
Water towers are often the most visible structures in fading small towns. “This was clearly a thriving place at one time, but now it’s hard to tell what’s open,” Lesikar says. “You can see the modern cars reflected in the window, but they’re ghostly figures.”
From TexasMonthly: Texans have an insatiable thirst for the photos of (you guessed it) Texas. Lucky for us, we’re living in a golden age of Lone Star imagery. Just look at Instagram, where many of the state’s most celebrated photographers supply us with unending streams of boundless vistas, open roads, big skies, and Longhorn cattle wandering in splashy fields of wildflowers. I’m here for all of them. Crank up the saturation, click upload, and feed those scenes from the High Plains and “Abandoned East Texas”straight into my veins.
NEW BOOK: Route 36 – Ohio to Colorado, America’s Heartland Highway
BONUS: From the foothills of the Appalachians to the soaring Rocky Mountains . . . Here’s your guide to US36—a great American road trip through the landscapes and communities of the nation’s Heartland. Leave the Interstates behind. Explore the “roads less traveled.” Discover a treasure trove of American history. Route 36 has it all. From Ohio to Colorado, this is Allan Ferguson’s love letter to the Midwest. When you read the Introduction, you’ll want to buy the book!