Landmarks: It may play second fiddle locally to other roads, but U.S. Route 20 named for Grant is getting a national boost
Bryan Farr, president and founder of the Historic U.S. Route 20 Association, holds a historical marker designating the route during a 2017 visit to Hickory Hills. Historic US Route 20 Association
From the Chicago Tribune: As roads with presidential names go, Lincoln Highway gets most of the fame around these parts. One of the nation’s first coast-to-coast highways built to accommodate automobiles, it’s named after the state’s favorite son and was famously road-tripped by future president Dwight Eisenhower, who led a caravan across country as it was being built to promote the highway system.
The General Ulysses S. Grant Highway, on the other hand, doesn’t draw too much attention. Even regional roads with executive branch monikers such as Roosevelt Road are better known. But the General Grant Highway is one of the area’s busiest roads. Thousands of vehicles congest its six lanes every day in the south suburbs, where it’s primarily known as 95th Street.
In Pictures: Hong Kong NGO saves iconic Tsui Wah neon sign for posterity
Photo: John Leung Photography via Tetra Neon Exchange.
From the Hong Kong Free Press: Neon shop signs have long been a staple of Hong Kong’s urban streetscapes, lighting up the city’s nights for almost a century. However, with shifting business patterns, fading expertise, and growing safety concerns, the elaborate signs have begun to disappear. The city’s neon signs are now more endangered than ever with businesses closing during the coronavirus pandemic.
Newly formed local NGO Tetra Neon Exchange (TNX) seeks to save the city’s remaining signs, preserving what they see as an important Hong Kong heritage.
Survey Respondents Prioritize Preservation for New Tulsa Route 66 Master Plan
CREDIT MATT TROTTER / KWGS
From Tulsa Public Radio: Preservation should be a main goal as the City of Tulsa considers Route 66 projects, according to a recently completed survey for a new master plan.
Nearly three in four responses picked incentives for neon signs, facade improvements and building rehab assistance as a top priority for revitalizing Tulsa’s stretches of the historic highway.
Roughly the same proportion of respondents said 11th Street from Peoria to Yale should be the top target area.
SUMMER 2020 “AUDI-TOUR-Y” ROAD TRIP
From Spaces: The open road, windows down, face mask in your pocket (2020, right?) – you’re going on a road trip! But where are you headed? No matter where you are in the world, there are art environments to visit and discover. We’ve picked a few around the united states for you to add to your list and paired some regionally-related podcasts to enjoy while you’re on your way, even if it’s only to the grocery store for your essentials and not an art environment.
Gold Rush uncovers a Golden Chicken ghost sign dating back to late 1950s
From the Milwaukee Record: Milwaukee has a new ghost sign! Well, more accurately, Milwaukee has an old ghost sign that we just learned was there. Recently, Gold Rush Chicken (3500 S. Howell Ave., 414-481-4010) removed some of its exterior facade, revealing hand-painted signs that date back approximately 65 years.
Yesterday, after receiving a tip from someone named Jonathan Schultz, Milwaukee historian and ghost sign author/enthusiast Adam Levin stopped by the longstanding Bay View carryout staple and took some photos for his Ghost Signs Of Milwaukee Facebook page.
The signs were originally painted for the previous tenant, Golden Chicken, sometime in the late 1950s. Levin says the word “Golden” was painted over around 1960, when the business’ name was changed to Gold Rush. You can also see a list of Golden Chicken’s specialties, including long-gone menu items like lobster and steak. Miraculously, the phone number listed at the bottom of the sign is still the phone number for Gold Rush Chicken.
The Lincoln Motor Court Offers Retro Charm Along a Historic Highway
Courtesy: Lincoln Motor Court Facebook: Images by Joso
From Ocn: The last motor court on the historic Lincoln Highway is open and welcoming travelers to southern Pennsylvania. It’s also one of the last motor courts in the U.S.
Built in 1940, the Lincoln Motor Court has been operated by Debbie and Bob Altizer since the ’80s. The Altizers left their home and jobs in D.C. in search of solitude, freedom, and lots of space. They found it along the Lincoln Highway (U.S. Route 30) in Bedford County, a small community in south-central Pennsylvania.