Betty is a Bench icon. She could soon be deemed historic
Betty the Washer Woman. Photo: Don Day/BoiseDev
From BoiseDev: Since some time in the middle of the last century, folks making their way down Vista Ave. in Boise have been greeted by a familiar face, working away.
Betty.
In 1947, Baird’s Drive-in Dry Cleaning opened at 1504 Vista Ave. Soon after, a sparkling new animated sign went up, with an animatronic figure placed on top, working away on a load of laundry.
Tulsa’s Route 66 Reaches Milestone with 66th Neon Sign Grant
From ftn News: The Tulsa Route 66 Commission has announced that Hillcrest Medical Centeris the 66th neon sign grant awarded as part of the City of Tulsa’s neon sign grant program.
Hillcrest has been a premiere provider of healthcare services for the Tulsa region for more than a century and has been in business at their current location on Route 66 since 1928.
“Hillcrest Medical Center is honored to contribute to the history and legacy of the Mother Road,” said Hillcrest Medical Center CEO Xavier Villarreal.
Medford’s Holly Theatre returns to its 1930 glory after a decade of restoration
The Holly Theatre facade and interior was restored to what it looked like when it opened in 1930. Courtesy of Holly Theatre
From Oregon Public Broadcasting: The historic Holly Theatre in downtown Medford, Oregon, plans to reopen its doors Thursday after a $13 million fundraising campaign.
The theater originally opened in 1930 to provide entertainment during the height of the Great Depression. The large theater showed movies as well as live performances, and its 1,200 seats could hold around one-tenth of the population of Medford at the time.
General Manager Tiffany Maude said the theater was forced to close in 1986 because of competition.
5 Maui Restaurants Begin a New Chapter
Exterior view of Ichiban Okazuya after restoration. Yu Sasaki
From Savingplaces.org: Battered by natural and economic disasters over the past five years, five community-centered historic restaurants on the island of Maui were startled and delighted to find themselves the surprise beneficiaries of the “Maui Climate Fund” from the Backing Historic Small Restaurants(BHSR) grant program.
Developed by American Express in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, this one-of-a-kind fund is intended to help preserve the island’s unique cultural heritage in the face of the devastating wildfires that struck the historic oceanfront town of Lahaina in August 2023,killing 102 people and destroying some 2,200 buildings, while also damaging parts of the island’s interior as well. The historic small businesses that survived the conflagration had to contend with an economic crisis as tourists fled and did not return and residents suffered job loss, inflated prices, and homelessness.
“It’s been a really nice gesture, a godsend to help us out with that money,” said Javier Barberi, principal owner of Mala Ocean Tavern, a scenic seaside fine-dining eatery in Lahaina that survived almost miraculously when the flames passed overhead, destroying much of the surrounding neighborhood and the store’s equipment and stock but leaving the restaurant’s interior mostly intact.
Take a peek inside a night shift at Williamsburg’s historic Kellogg’s Diner
From ABC7.com: WILLIAMSBURG, Brooklyn — 24-hour establishments, once a staple of New York City, have long been vanishing. The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic was the nail in the coffin for many. Even some iconic late-night restaurants that weren’t forced into closure, like Cafeteria in Chelsea or Veselka in the East Village, drastically reduced their hours and now close between 10pm and 1am.
Kellogg’s Diner, a historic 97-year-old restaurant in the heart of Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood, despite a momentary setback, has mostly persevered.
First opened in 1928, Kellogg’s Diner has changed hands repeatedly over the years. Most recently, it was acquired by restaurateur Louis Skibar and a co-owner Nico Arze, after previous owners filed for bankruptcy in 2023.