SOCIETY for

COMMERCIAL

ARCHEOLOGY

Advocates for America’s
Roadside Heritage

SOCIETY for

COMMERCIAL

ARCHEOLOGY

Advocates for America’s
Roadside Heritage

SOCIETY for

COMMERCIAL

ARCHEOLOGY

Advocates for
America’s
Roadside Heritage

On the road since 1977

We invite you to join hundreds of neon lovers, diner fans, history buffs, and roadside explorers.

SCA memberships start at: $55 a year or just $5 a month.

Join UsWhat You GetAnnual Appeal

Nashville Event

WHAT’S AN SCA ROAD TRIP LIKE?

NASHVILLE NEON
CANYON

See Trip Recap

On the road since 1997

We invite you to join hundreds of neon lovers, diner fans, history buffs, and roadside explorers.

SCA memberships start at: $55 a year or just $5 a month.
Join UsWhat You GetAnnual Appeal

Nashville Event

WHAT’S AN SCA ROAD TRIP LIKE?

NASHVILLE NEON
CANYON

See Trip Recap

SCA EVENTS & MORE

Early Gas Station

ZOOM RECORDING: Debra Jane Seltzer – Getting the Most Out of Your Roadtrips

Recorded Wednesday, December 4th: We invite you to join roadside documentarian extraordinaire Debra Jane Seltzer of RoadsideArchitecture.com as she shares tips gathered over her 25 year career for how to plan, catalog, and share your roadside adventures. Register | Learn More
Diner of Tomorrow Thumb

JOURNAL SNEAK PEEK: The Diner of Tomorrow…Today!

By Richard J. S. Gutman: In this article, the leading authority on the history and architecture of diners, Richard Gutman, details and comments upon his research and several of the more than 1,000 items he has collected and which are now part of the The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan.
Secret Caverns Billboard

ZOOM RECORDING: The Cave Painters of Schoharie County with Ronald Ladouceur

Recorded November 6, 2024: Since 1929, Secret Caverns in Schoharie County, New York, has played second fiddle to its far more famous show cave neighbor, Howe Caverns. Join us on a journey into the imaginings of the key artists responsible for the attraction’s fabled billboards – three small town kids with no formal artistic training who matured into psychedelic Picassos of outsider art. Watch Recording

EVENT RECORDINGS

ROADSIDE NEWS

UPDATED! THE JIM SEELEN MOTEL IMAGES COLLECTION

20,000 MOTELS

SCA member Jim “Motel King” Seelen’s motel images collection is now part of our library. This database contains more than 23,000 images with details on more than 20,000 (21,507 to be exact) motels that once operated in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

View Database

SCA ARTICLES

Diner of Tomorrow Thumb

JOURNAL SNEAK PEEK: The Diner of Tomorrow…Today!

By Richard J. S. Gutman: In this article, the leading authority on the history and architecture of diners, Richard Gutman, details and comments upon his research and several of the more than 1,000 items he has collected and which are now part of the The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan.
<del>Five</del> Seven Faves: Nashville’s Neon Canyon

Five Seven Faves: Nashville’s Neon Canyon

Signs, signs, everywhere there are signs. Like most hip and creative U.S. communities, Nashville, aka Music City, has an almost embarrassing treasure of colorful and imaginative signage of all ilk and sizes.
Location Unknown

Lost Photos Found Memories: Amusement Parks

Here are some of the amusement or theme park photos I’ve collected over the last ten years. Unidentified locations may be smaller venues such as carnivals or fairs. For those unknown images, email edwardengel@yahoo.com with any clues to identification.
Mary Anne Erickson

Brownie Camera Beginnings: The Roadside Art of Mary Anne Erickson

Hudson Valley resident Mary Anne Erickson combines her passion for color, beauty, design, and fine taste in documenting the demise of the American roadside culture of “Mom and Pop” establishments.
Gas, Food & Lodging: Fuel for Bertrand Goldberg’s Futuristic Architecture

Gas, Food & Lodging: Fuel for Bertrand Goldberg’s Futuristic Architecture

A common criticism of roadside buildings is that, from an architectural perspective, they’re not impressive creations. That statement, however, is not always valid. Bertrand “Bud” Goldberg is a fascinating example of a famed architect who initially displayed considerable design talents in small-scale commercial structures.
Manning’s: The First Coffee Empire to Emerge from Seattle

Manning’s: The First Coffee Empire to Emerge from Seattle

FULL ARTICLE by Tracey Pemberton and Mike Elmore – In 1908, an elaborate advertisement rose above the others at Seattle’s Pike Place Market. Protruding outward from the top of the stall and looming over the heads of shoppers, the Manning brothers promised “Coffee Served Hot,” with small cups of coffee that cost just 2¢ and large cups priced at 4¢. An empire was born.

Dr. Patrick’s Postcard Roadside

Blue and White Restaurant, Warren, Pennsylvania, vintage postcard

DR. PATRICK’S POSTCARD ROADSIDE: The Blue and White Restaurant

Constantine Spiridon and his two brothers opened the Blue and White Restaurant at 211 Liberty Street in downtown Warren, PA, in 1925. It was one and a half blocks north of US 6, certainly the coast-to-coast reference on this postcard showing its 1937 Art Moderne remodel.
Transatlantic Steamship Terminal postcard

DR. PATRICK’S POSTCARD ROADSIDE: New York City’s West Side Piers

A circa-1960 postcard shows New York City’s Transatlantic Steamship Terminal in the Hudson River between 44th and 54th streets ...
DR. PATRICK’S POSTCARD ROADSIDE: Cedar Tourist Court

DR. PATRICK’S POSTCARD ROADSIDE: Cedar Tourist Court

Westward across the plains of Kansas, US 40 originally split at Manhattan with the south branch following the Victory Highway through Salina (current US 40), and the north branch following the Midland Trail through Clay Center.

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