Iconic Hollywood sign’s makeover officially complete
Viewpoints: The time to save the Great Northern wasn’t then – it’s now
This image shows what a reimagined Great Northern Grain Elevator could look like if demolition is halted now. John Wightman, Gregory Delaney and Beth Tauke
From The Buffalo News: Demolition is currently underway at the Great Northern – the oldest, unique and individually significant of all Buffalo’s extant grain elevators. And for anyone who believes, as I do, that this demolition is a crime against our city, its citizenry, collective history, and future potential – one committed by calculation by ADM and culpable complacency by the city – it is a painful act to witness, and endure.
But, while the city has, up to this point, failed to uphold its legal responsibility to this landmarked building (see §337-1 of the City’s Charter, which specifically legislates as a matter of public policy on the preservation of “economic and architectural integrity” of even “vacant or underutilized landmark properties by means of substantial rehabilitation and adaptive reuse”), there is still time for Mayor Byron W. Brown and Commissioner of Permits and Inspection Services Catherine Amdur to make good on their legal obligation to the citizens of Buffalo by rescinding this wrongly issued demolition permit.
Memo’s Hotdogs Reopens After Resolving ‘Unfair’ Dispute With City Over Cheech and Chong Mural
The mural stretches across the side of the restaurant. Google Maps
From Block Club Chicago: PILSEN — Memo’s Hotdogs, a Pilsen staple since 1956, is back open after resolving a weeks-long dispute with the city about a Cheech and Chong mural painted on the side of the business, a fight the local alderman called “unfair and disproportionate.”
The restaurant at 1447 W. 18th St. closed at the beginning of the month. Owners Gerardo and Jeanette Garza said they couldn’t renew their business license because city inspectors had issued fines for a large, colorful mural of the comedians painted on the side of the restaurant, saying it was a public advertisement.
Neon Museum Marks 10 Years at Current Site, Welcoming Visitors at Building Designed by Architect Paul R. Williams
Neon Museum Visitor Center designed by Paul R. Williams. Courtesy Neon Museum
From Culture Type: In downtown Las Vegas, the Neon Museum is celebrating 10 years at its current location on Las Vegas Boulevard with a special proclamation from the city. The museum collects, restores, and exhibits iconic neon signs, preserving the legacy and symbols of the city’s historic hotels, casinos, and other institutions.
The Neon Museum’s visitor center is housed in the former La Concha Motel lobby, which was designed by architect Paul R. Williams. Defined by its mid-century modern, space-age design, the shell-shaped building was originally constructed in 1961. Councilman Cedric Crear stopped by the museum on Oct. 26 to present the proclamation to Neon Museum Executive Director Aaron Berger.
(And although the Neon Museum marks 10 years at current site, the Neon Museum of Philadelphia announced they are closing. Please let us know if you have any ideas for saving it!)
Historic Fox Theatre getting a facelift
The “Fox” sign, with chipped paint and burnt-out neon, is being restored with new paint and LED lights instead of neon. Charles Coleman/Courtesy photo
From the McCook Gazette: McCOOK, Neb — The 95-year-old Fox Theatre is getting an upgrade, with a digital marquee and a spruced-up “Fox” sign that’s attached to it.
Talk to anyone who grew up in McCook through the 1980s and chances are, almost everyone will have a memory or two of the Fox Theater. Built by A. Barnett, who built many iconic buildings still in use in McCook, the Fox Theater on Norris Avenue first opened in 1927 as the World Theatre and featured vaudeville acts. The building was remodeled in the late 1940s and again in the 1950s, with the screen area enlarged to accommodate the latest cinemascope film. Seating was also updated and the lobby was remodeled. In 1955, a lighted marquee was added and the stage was remodeled.
But after 67 years, the marquee was showing its age. And finding someone to manually change the marquee, letter by letter, was getting harder to find, oftentimes the task left to native McCookite John Hubert, 95. Hubert previously owned the theater and sold it in 1988 to the nonprofit, Alliance for the Encouragement of Visual and Performing Arts (AEVPA).