When a car crashed into a Natick diner, it uncovered a piece of the Car’s past
Duane Houghton, of Framingham-based Early American Restoration, with the Casey’s Diner original painted exterior “Quick Lunch” panels that were discovered during repairs after a car crashed into the Natick diner. The panels are believed to be the last original siding from any Worcester Lunch Car Co. cars in the country. Houghton is re-creating the panels and the etched glass windows.
From the Metrowest Daily News: NATICK, MA — A hit-and-run crash last November at the iconic Casey’s Diner unearthed a piece of history.
Part of the diner’s original exterior was discovered underneath its current tin covering — something that’s a rarity when it comes to the Worcester Lunch Car Co. dining cars, said Pat Casey, owner of the South Avenue eatery that’s been in operation since 1890.
“I thought my grandfather replaced the exterior when he bought the car in 1925, but it looks like he just covered it up,” Casey said.
Decades-Old Room Key Delivered to San Francisco Union Square Hotel
Courtyard San Francisco Union Square recently received a true heirloom from decades past in a mysterious package. To the hotel’s delight, it contained an old room key belonging to the Maurice Hotel, the original occupant of the hotel property.
From Marketwired: SAN FRANCISCO, CA — A small envelope brought a flashback of days past to a Union Square hotel in San Francisco last month much to the surprise and elation of hotel associates.
At a time in the hotel industry when room keys are advancing from magnetic keys to RFID key cards to keyless mobile devices, the Courtyard San Francisco Union Square obtained a U.S. Postal Service envelope that contained a true heirloom — a metal key to Room 1102 of the Maurice Hotel, the original occupant of the hotel property. The treasured heirloom tells its own tale of the history behind the Courtyard. Opened over 86 years ago at the same location on San Francisco’s Post Street, the Maurice Hotel followed tradition of the day with metal room keys tagged with return instructions — “Drop in Any Mail Box — We Guarantee Postage.”
Salinas plans to turn old hotel into housing for the homeless
From KSBW: SALINAS, California — An old Salinas motel could be the beginning of a new partnership between the city and the County of Monterey as they look to address the area’s homeless housing needs.
That partnership calls for both jurisdictions to play key roles in renovating the motel and providing outreach services to the homeless
“There’s so much need and so much work to do and none of us can do it alone so it’s really through these types of partnerships and creative partnerships that we’re really able to meet the needs of the community,” said Melanie Rhodes of the Monterey county behavioral health department.
Ghost signs of Detroit: Faded ads reveal city’s forgotten commercial, cultural history
A 2021 mural is strategically placed to maintain the underlying Sydney Bogg advertisement. The company lost its storefront in 2002 but continues operations online today. AMELIA BENAVIDES-COLÓN, DETROIT FREE PRESS
From the Detroit Free Press: A faded, white sign reading “West End Market” painted aside an empty building in Detroit’s Delray neighborhood is all the remains of the thriving corridor once known as “The Avenue.”
The shuttered storefront was once the home of Szabo’s Hungarian Market, opened by siblings Steve Sorovetz and Ann Szabo, who immigrated to Detroit from Hungary in 1938, establishing their home base in Delray. The store remained open for more than 50 years, ultimately closing its doors in 1987.
Szabo’s Market is just one example of the rich, empowering stories of Detroit’s immigrant community that can be found through “ghost signs.”
Sarasota Historic Preservation Board Denies Permit to Demolish Historic Hotel Built During Segregation
1425 Eighth St., in the Rosemary District BRIAN JONES
From Sarasota Magazine: Sarasota’s historic McAlpin home is teetering on the edge of the chopping block to make way for a 10-story mixed-use project in downtown Sarasota. Now there’s another almost-century-old structure whose fate might be in limbo.
The Rosemary District building at 1425 Eighth St. was the site of Sarasota’s first Black hotel. Built by Edwin O. Burns, it was named for Rev. Lewis Colson, a formerly enslaved person who came to the area to plat the town as an assistant surveyor for the Florida Mortgage and Investment Company. With his wife Irene, who offered midwife services to those who couldn’t access them otherwise, they helped establish Overtown, Sarasota’s Black community. Colson died in 1923, and the hotel was named in his honor.
Curious About The History Of Neon In LA? There’s An App For That
The Broadway Hollywood sign, originally meant to draw customers to the department store. It’s now a luxury apartment building. The Museum of Neon Art (MONA) helped re-light the sign. (Connie Conway / Courtesy of MONA)
From LAist: Art. Science. History. Culture.
If you’re having a conversation with someone who knows a lot about neon signs, it won’t be hard to touch on all of those topics, and maybe even a few more.
And now, you can have a similar experience even when you’re on your own, thanks to a new “digital guide” put together by the Museum of Neon Art (or MONA) in Glendale.