Ghost signs

[1mach1]

Downtown Richmond, VA

 

[1mach1]

8th St SE Washington, DC.

 

[1mach1]

Old horse stable area in Washington DCs Shaw area, converted to apartments. They painted around the old sign. Very cool.

 

[Fading Fast]

^^^ Good for someone having the sense to keep the sign.

 

[BobHufford]

Oldest operating tavern in town ...

The inside ain't bad either ...

 

[1mach1]

Wow! That looks like a great place Bob!

 

[BobHufford]

Foremost milk was "our brand" growing up -- in cardboard cartons (I'm not that old). They've been gone since 1986. This was on the side of an closed-up grocery store in Fordland, Missouri.

 

[Atticus Finch]

I vaguely remember when this was a thriving...and locally controversial ...establishment. Long closed, this sign is all that remains.



AF

 

[Fading Fast]

^^^ There was a time when pool halls were considered déclassé and contributing to the delinquency of minors, etc. Now we have the Internet so all that can happen in the privacy of anyone's home or, really, anywhere with mobile. Great sign though.

 

[Fading Fast]

I debated putting this one in vintage roadside as the sign isn't really ghosted, but it is still a great example of what I think is a 1920s sign that has been kept up as the Hotel Wellington was built in 1929 and has operated continually under that name since opening. I like that the hotel is tucked in amongst similar pre-war buildings (note the Art Deco trim on the building just past the Wellington) so you get a bit of a time-travel feel from this picture. I did my best not to capture newer architecture (couldn't keep the modern skyscraper at the back from peaking in) but still prominently show the sign.



In doing some quick Internet research, I found this modern-day picture of its lobby - clearly Art Deco was the driving theme (didn't find any original photos - yet):

 

[1mach1]

Old Town Alexandria, VA

 

[LizzieMaine]

This sign in Belfast, Maine is one I grew up with. The building was, in the years of my childhood, a clothing/Army-Navy store called "Kilroy's," and the Coca-Cola sign was painted over by a bright yellow, red, and black sign advertising the Dubble-Ware brand of work clothing sold at the store. When I was young, only the COC of the Coke sign, and the part to its left which read "Delicious and Refreshing" were visible. But the Dubble-Ware sign abraded and faded steadily over the years, and is now almost entirely gone.

Coke signs in general seem to be the most durable of late 19th/early 20th century wall signs -- and for good reason. They used paint with a very high lead content, which soaked into the brickwork and was highly resistant to weathering. That's also why they tend to be left alone -- they require hazardous-waste protocols to sandblast off.

 

[kaiser]

This sign in Belfast, Maine is one I grew up with. The building was, in the years of my childhood, a clothing/Army-Navy store called "Kilroy's," and the Coca-Cola sign was painted over by a bright yellow, red, and black sign advertising the Dubble-Ware brand of work clothing sold at the store. When I was young, only the COC of the Coke sign, and the part to its left which read "Delicious and Refreshing" were visible. But the Dubble-Ware sign abraded and faded steadily over the years, and is now almost entirely gone.

Coke signs in general seem to be the most durable of late 19th/early 20th century wall signs -- and for good reason. They used paint with a very high lead content, which soaked into the brickwork and was highly resistant to weathering. That's also why they tend to be left alone -- they require hazardous-waste protocols to sandblast off.

Good point about the lead, it can have a very enduring legacy, just think about what is going on in Flint Michigan right now.

 

[Fading Fast]

This sign in Belfast, Maine is one I grew up with. The building was, in the years of my childhood, a clothing/Army-Navy store called "Kilroy's," and the Coca-Cola sign was painted over by a bright yellow, red, and black sign advertising the Dubble-Ware brand of work clothing sold at the store. When I was young, only the COC of the Coke sign, and the part to its left which read "Delicious and Refreshing" were visible. But the Dubble-Ware sign abraded and faded steadily over the years, and is now almost entirely gone.

Coke signs in general seem to be the most durable of late 19th/early 20th century wall signs -- and for good reason. They used paint with a very high lead content, which soaked into the brickwork and was highly resistant to weathering. That's also why they tend to be left alone -- they require hazardous-waste protocols to sandblast off.

Of course you know this: You and the three-remaining-seventy-years-of-service Coca-Cola employees are the only people on planet earth who do. I am consistently awed by your wealth of knowledge. Kudos.

 

[Bamaboots]

Growing up, this was a place in my Huntsville neighborhood. The corner of 9th Ave. and Triana Blvd.

 

[1mach1]

Alexandria, VA. Now home to a Calico Corners fabric store.

 

[Bushman]

Passed this one today:

 

[Wesslyn]

This is an impressively still vibrant mural down the street from where I live in Galesburg, IL

 

[LizzieMaine]

Somewhere in the world there's a man named George L. Durham who'd be tickled to death to discover that sign.

 

[Kahuna]

This one came from Palouse, WA. The old building next door burnt down a couple years ago exposing this sign for the first time in 100+ years.