Artifacts of Commerce Past
The Phillips-Lewis sign as it appeared circa 1970. (Photo courtesy VCU Libraries)
From Richmond Magazine: Riding in the family car as we attended to our city errands, I’d catch a glimpse of her and wonder. The image kicked my overactive imagination into hyperdrive.
Sitting before a fireplace at her spinning wheel, she was, to me, creating the thread of history. A plinth of stairs led to her, and I considered how each tread represented an epoch.
The wall-sized painting covered — and, as of this writing, remains barely visible on — the South 14th Street side of 1331 E. Cary St. The expanse of the image seemed to my adolescent self far more important than the fact that the artwork was hawking the Phillips-Lewis line of Home Spun canned goods.
Here’s the story: The ‘Brady Bunch’ house could become an LA monument
The ‘Brady Bunch’ house in Studio City on Aug. 16. (Myung J. Chun / Getty Images)
From LAist: One of TV’s most famous sitcom houses has entered L.A.’s landmarking process.
City officials are considering whether to grant a mid-century modern ranch known as the Brady Bunch house historic-cultural monument status.
The owner of the Studio City house is seeking the designation with the backing of preservationists like those at the Los Angeles Conservancy.
National Trust for Historic Preservation, Google partner to celebrate Route 66 Centennial with AI hub
Fox23 News: TULSA, Okla. — The National Trust for Historic Preservation and Google have partnered to launch a unique technological project in honor of the upcoming Route 66 Centennial.
FOX23 spoke with the president of the Oklahoma Route 66 Association and representatives from Google Arts & Culture about how the partnership came to life.
The collaboration aims to preserve and share the history of Route 66 — not only in Oklahoma but across all eight states the historic highway runs through.
With technology evolving daily, the new “Route 66 Rewind” AI hub allows people to experience history through a virtual, interactive road trip.
Iconic Phoenix deli Cheese ‘N Stuff reopens under new owners
Cheese ‘N Stuff. Photo: Jeremy Duda/Axios
From Axios: Doors are open, sandwiches are being served and even the iconic neon sign is on again at Cheese ‘N Stuff.
State of play: The central Phoenix deli, which closed in April after 76 years, is back in business under new ownership after Julie and Tom Palmer bought the sandwich shop with a group of friends.
- Cheese ‘N Stuff originally opened in 1949 on Central Avenue just north of Camelback Road, but closed earlier this year when the family that had long owned the restaurant decided it was time to retire.
- It reopened last Monday.
Century-old stained glass discovered hiding beneath ‘ugly’ Brooklyn storefront
Vintage stained glass was recently uncovered at Brooklyn Psychotherapy in Greenpoint. William Farrington
From the New York Post: This therapist unlocked a piece of history.
Construction crews working on a refreshed storefront for a Brooklyn psychotherapy office discovered stunning, century-old stained glass that offers a sneak peek into Greenpoint’s past.
“I was totally blown away. It’s a huge unexpected gift,” Karen G. Costa, who has rented Brooklyn Psychotherapy’s office at 705 Manhattan Ave. for years, told The Post.
Why Do Diners Across America All Use the Same Mugs?
Cup of coffee in a diner. John Greim/GettyImages
From Mental Floss: Sit down for a cup of coffee in any American diner, and the chances are it’ll be served in a thick, bright white mug with a broad, curved handle, and characteristically inward-curving, hourglass-like sides.
These iconic white mugs are a quintessential element of modern Americana (unfortunately making them one of the most stolen items from restaurants and diners across the country). But where did this unique design come from? And why does practically every diner in the United States serve the same one?
Road Trips Where Rural America Shines
The Frontier Drive-Inn, a vintage drive-in movie theater with yurts for overnight stays, is a hidden gem in the San Luis Valley in Colorado. Sophie Kuller
From The New York Times: When you’re road-tripping through the cornfields of the Midwest and the livestock ranges in the West, rural America seems endless. According to U.S. census data, 97 percent of the country’s land mass is rural, occupied by just 20 percent of the population.
Occasionally motorists might come across a small town enlivened by murals or a busy farm-to-table restaurant. They might find a pizza farm in rural Minnesota or visit a dairy barn in Maryland that serves ice cream made from its milk.
These are just some of the ways that rural areas are tapping the regenerative powers of tourism to restore neglected towns, supplement agricultural income and ensure viability for future generations.