Hilltop, USA (and a few surprises)

Last night was one of those beautiful mildly cool early fall evenings just meant for being outside. It was not cool enough to don jackets and hats, but one could tell that summer was definitely behind us. While I will miss summer, and am not looking forward to winter, I also enjoy the autumn with nature's own neon collection of yellows, golds, reds and browns. The evening though, shines red, lavender, blue, and green as the neon signs light up our longer and longer nights. So it was my usual night off work, but I decided to come in for a few hours for extra cash for my upcomming move. I didn't want to waste the whole evening working so I decided to get to an area I have been wanting to cover. Of course, yes, High Street, downtown, and the Short North are at the top of my list, but with this being the first week of classes at OSU, I want to avoid the throngs of college students clogging the street. Perhaps a Sunday evening when some of the students decide to start studying. But last night seemed perfect to get to the Hilltop. The Hilltop is a large, older neighborhood on the west side of the city. The area had a long tradition of being a while, working class neighborhood with mainly Irish and Itlian ancestries dominating the area. By the 1980s, blacks and some people of middle eastern descent moved into the area, diversifying of the largest poor white neighborhoods in the city. In the 1990s, the area became home to many, many Latinos, mostly Mexican immigrants, and large areas of the west side definitely have the appearance and feel of a large city barrio. Latino neighborhoods have sprouted up all over the city, as Latinos and Spanish speaking immigrants have been one of the fastest growing demographic groups to call Columbus home in the last ten years or so, but the Hilltop and west side in general probably still contains the largest concentration of latino owned homes and businesses. I also knew, that neon on this side of town is about quality over quantity. Two of the best examples of classic neon sit within blocks of each other on this side of town. I did find some other more hidden gems slightly off the beaten path. I also have a few surprises with this tour. There are some installations that just don't 'fit' into any geographic neighborhood, but are meant to be seen from a freeway or highway. These extras were snapped on my way from the north end to the hilltop along I-71, and Dublin Road. All pictures were taken the evening of Thurs. 9/25.

Rod's Western Palace, on Silver Drive which runs parallel to I-71 near Weber Road. This high horse can be seen from the freeway of course.


The City of Columbus Utility Complex, which is home to city run and operated utilities, including water of course.

COTA headquarters on McKinley Avenue, which is squished between Columbus' west side and Grandview. COTA is the Central Ohio Transit Authority, which operates the city bus system. And does not run street cars..yet.


Some examples of what the Hilltop has to offer. Get out of jail, then get a tattoo. Better than getting a tattoo IN jail.



The colorful swirls are inside of Cirilla's, formerly Priscilla's. Why the name change? Who knows. They still sell the same stuff..items to "spice things up" shall we say. The drippy Liquid Audio seems like a car audio business of some kind. It is at the far end of an otherwise empty and dilapidated strip mall. I believe it once was home to a K-Mart..one of those older, crowded, dingy ones and my guess is that if I were here 25 years ago, I could get a pic of one of those huge old blue and red K-MART neon signs!


Some Great Western neon. The Great Western Shopping Center was one of the earlier directionally named shopping centers designed by the Casto group in Columbus. Great Eastern is in Whitehall and was actually much larger, and was home to the Big Bear Plus I worked at in college. There is/was a Great Southern which I guess is somewhat different from the other two. Great Western had a very unique feature in it's early days that Columbus old timers recall fondly..scale replicas of the natural Wonders of the World incorporated into the parking lot. No trace remains now but I guess it was there from it's opening in the 1950's until sometime in the 70s. Why did all the cool stuff of the world go away right around the time I was born?? Seems to be a recurring theme when it comes to Americana like neon signs. Anyway, I bet the old Great Western of the 50s and 60s had some wicked cool neon adoring some of it's storefronts, in addition to Niagara Falls and Egyptian Pyramids.



If neon signs were a religion, this would be a temple! A store that actually sells neon signs! Not the best pictures because I was afraid of some Valleyview donut munching cop questioning me as to why I was taking pictures of a closed business. But one gets the idea! This is just north of Great Western on Wilson Road at Valleyview Road.

The Ding Ho Restaurant, on Phillipi Road near Westland Mall. Now this is actually a bit disappointing. The Ding Ho was in it's original location for years, on W. Broad Street across from Consumer Square West, near Great Western. A typical old fashioned Chinese restaurant, with a name that sounds funny to many Americans, that served 'cocktails' (most likely those cool old drinks that have smoke or whatever in them) and had a full bar as well as Chinese food. And of course, a small but amazing flashing neon sign which probably dated to the restaurant's opening in the 1950s. They moved a year or so ago to a former Ground Round which is their current location. Sadly, the faux Chinese font 'Ding Ho' did not move with the restaurant. This is their current sign. At least they decided to keep some neon. A photo of the old Ding Ho sign can be seen here



Saving some of the best for last. The 40 Motel on W. Broad. One of the best examples of old neon in the city, similar to the Capital or Brookside on the east side. The smaller sign flickers on and off like you would find in a movie that features an old motel. Cool stuff, cool signs!

Saving THE best for last, one of the signs I have looked most forward to photographing since I have started this blog. Hillcrest Lanes is one of the older bowling alleys in Columbus. And the sign has been there as long as the building has. Signs like this once were plentiful as bowling became more popular in the middle of the century. Now, not so much. Two of my favorite hobbies combined in one beautiful sign. Nice to see it still lit, and I am glad I snapped it when I did. Seems any old classic neon is fair game for going dark.

If I had more battery power on either camera I had on me, I would have covered Franklinton and the Bottoms, two more gritty inner city areas on the west side, closer to downtown Columbus, but alas, those areas will have to wait. Enjoy!

in memory of those that have went dark..

I promised. This, I am sure, is far from complete. These were just a few examples of classic/older neon that have went dark in Columbus, to the best of my knowledge. The exact dates when they were last lit..I don't know. I don't know if I have ever seen some of these lit. The Super Duper sign on S. James Road, profiled earlier this month, can be part of this list as well. I will keep on the lookout for any other signs that have gone dark, or better yet, dark signs that have came back to life (as we see in this post). All pics were taken the afternoon of Tuesday, 9/23.

Mike's Carryout, Hamilton and Livingston. The top part of this sign actually is still functioning and can be seen in a post from last November, the Tommy's Pizza sign. It appears this could have been a drive-in sign, and looking at old property records, the small strip center that Mikes and Tommy's makes up is part of the same property that goes behind a gas station and onto Livingston Avenue, like an old drive-in theater would. But the property appears somewhat small. If anyone knows the history of this area better than me, please let me know!

The Livingston Theater. As long as I have lived in the Columbus area, this place has been closed shut and the sign dark. From the records I could gather it appears the theater was built and opened around 1947 and I have no idea when it closed, but it appeared to have changed hands in 1973 after being held by the same owner for over 25 years. Then it went through some sort of 'renovation' or addition in the later 1970s. Judging by the state of the building, my guess is that it closed sometime between 1973 and 1977. About ten years ago a fitness club that catered to gay men opended up in a refurbished part of the building, which also contained stores, and had been subject to threats and vandalism. Gotta love the open mindedness of pre-2000 Columbus, Ohio! This is in a densely populated mostly African American neighborhood known for a high crime rate. I was there to take the picture and I didn't feel in any sort of danger. It is a shame such a beautiful building
could just sit there to rot, though I know part of it has been used for medical offices fairly recently. And that awesome ancient neon! I would LOVE to go back in time to about 1955 to see what that place looked like lit up in it's neon glory!



Reeb's Restaurant, at the corner of Champion and Livingston. It is hard to find good information on businesses that have long been closed and in inner city areas of Columbus it seems. From what I can gather about Reeb's, is that the building was built not long after the turn of the last century. The Reeb family owned this property from as early as the 1920 (quite possibly earlier) until the 1950s. From looking around the internet and old Columbus themed literature, this was a popular restaurant throughout the 1940's, 50's and 60's. I have no idea when it closed but the last time it appeared in the city directory was 1986. So it is quite possible that the building has been abandoned and empty for well over twenty years. Very common in these older urban neighborhoods. My guess too, is that it had an absentee landlord and the property was forfeited to the state. Considering how long it has been vacant the sign is still in reasonably good shape. Like I mentioned before, I would love to hop in a time machine, take a stroll down Livingston Avenue in it's better days, and see places like the Livingston and Reeb's lit up brightly onto the street.

Well I was obviously wrong about this one being dark! The Lincoln Theater on E. Long Street was a cultural center of sorts for the local African American community in the first half of the twentieth century. The Lincoln (formerly called the Ogden, I believe) was opened in the 1920s as the Harlem Rennaisance was taking place in New York and across the country. This proud black neighborhood sadly started to decline in the 1950s and the theater of course went through the usual life cycle of classic American theater buildings: open, heyday, decline, porn, close, decay. The theater closed in the 1970s and was left for the birds, spiders, and vagrants. I remember hearing rumors here and there about the theater being restored as far back as the late nineties. When my daughter was in a daycare in the area, I would frequently pass by the theater and wish I had taken a picture of the building and sign before the renovations actually started. Which was last year, when the city of Columbus took ownership of the property for a sublease to a local theater company. I guess work has been slow and was scheduled to reopen about now, and has been delayed til spring of next year. The old neon sign, sadly, was taken down in favor of a new sign complete with digital video message board. While I am sad about the sign, I am not sad that this place may again be a thriving center of culture and may spur further development and restoration in the area, known as the King-Lincoln district (named after Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Lincoln). Now that I know that the theater is going to reopen and the sign functions, I will have to drive by after dark to see if the neon also lights up. That could be part of the Long Street/northern downtown photo tour I intend to do soon.

The Broadmoor Super Market, Broad and Weyant near Whitehall and the Town and Country shopping center. Cool neon and an interesting perspective on parking, as far as the orientation of the letters. While the market is very much open, the I have never seen the neon aspect lit.

North of downtown/Victorian Village

Not including the surrounding neon-rich areas of downtown itself, the Arena District, or the Short North. Not a ton of neon in Victorian Village, but enough interesting installations. Also I included a few examples that do not really fit anywhere good geographically, other than they are on the outskirts of downtown. The Wonderbread sign and the WBNS tower are Columbus landmarks, mainly due to their visibility from a large area of the freeway system north and west of the actual downtown. The Wonder bakery is also known for the wonderful (no pun intended!) smell that permeates the area in an otherwise sorta grimy area on N. 4th Street about a mile north of downtown Columbus. The WBNS TV tower is probably the tallest neon in the city, it's tower standing some nine hundred feet into the sky, the neon beacon of WBNS some two thirds up the tower. On a clear night the tall letters can be seen for miles as part of the downtown skyline. I am not sure as to when the Wonder Bread sign dates, but my guess is sometime in the 1970s maybe earlier or a bit later. I was going to get to the south campus/Short North areas last night, but I realized it was moving day at OSU and traffic was bad for a Sunday night. All photos were taken the evening of Sun. 9/21.













^This cool cat sits on the attic window of a Neil Avenue residence and watches the action below. No litter needed with this kitty!

Polaris II

Some of the neon from the Polaris area. Note this is not actually the Polaris Fashion Place mall, which was closed at 11:30PM or so on a Saturday night. The Polaris area, for neoning purposes, extends from just east of the I-71 intersection, west to about Camden, and the Sancus/Lazelle areas. I covered the 'east Polaris' stretch several months ago, and the interior of the mall itself will be covered next time I am in the place. Most of the neon in this area is chain related homogeny, but there are a few hidden gems and surprises. All pics taken the very late evening of Sat. 9/20.

The night that the lights went out..

While nothing like 2005 with the likes of Katrina, Rita, Wilma, Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and so on, this has been a particularly harsh hurricane season. Major hurricanes have hit much of the Carribean, The gulf coast of the southeastern US, and Ohio. Yep, I said Ohio. The month started with hurricane Gustav slamming into Louisiana with fears of another Katrina. It was bad, but not nearly as bad as feared. Last weekend, hurricane Ike hit the Houston and Galveston areas of Texas as a strong category two hurricane. This was not pretty. Millions are still without power, thousands lost homes, and dozens lost lives. And the unusual thing about this storm, when the remnants travelled north into the midwest as Tropical Depression Ike, it still packed quite a punch with wind and rain. It hit central Ohio just as a strong cold front was coming from the north and collided over central Ohio. It was probably the closest central Ohio will ever come to experiencing a hurricane. Trees, power lines, buildings have been damaged and some outright destroyed. And of course, power outages. The weather has been beautiful since that stormy Sunday but in much of the Columbus area, still powerless. I myself had power out for about 2 and half days. Of course, something we know and love neon runs on electricity that is not flowing in much of Ohio now..neon signs. I had hoped to get to maybe some more High Street and possibly the west side of the city for some neoning. Unfortunately, much of the power was still out in some of these areas. In 'honor' of the power (no pun intended) of Mother Nature and Father Time, my next post will pay tribute to neon that has gone dark..permanantly, yet still adorns the buildings and streets of Columbus. Today, I am showing a few bar specific neon signs from Gabby's Tavern on the north side of the city, which have sat on my camera for a while now. Watch for my next post. And perhaps by the end of the week, the lights will be on and glowing again for my next photo tour.

Peking in Action

Enjoy!

Grandview II

Way back when, around April, I walked along Grandview Avenue from W. 1st up north to W. 5th Avenue. I said I would be back. Well, some five months later, I returned! I walked a large part of W. 5th from about Fairview to Doten, and was in my car for everything else, including what I found on W. 3rd, Northwest Blvd, and King Avenue. Was a beautiful warm evening and I had a change of plans, so I thought, what the heck. I needed the exercise anyway! All pics taken the mid to late evening of 9/11.


I spotted these on King Avenue. Great old school neon at Gentile's. Old, Italian east coast type areas thrive on old fashioned neon!


One of the crown jewels of Columbus area neon signage. The classic Peking Dynasty, in all it's lit up glory. Actually there are four signs, the front facing sign is identical in both directions on W. 5th, and the parking lot sign in the back on the side street. Yes, this sign is animated and wait til my next post!!

Another Grandview classic. Rife's Market at the corner of W. 5th and Grandview Ave. I snapped this just under the awning and it came out great!


Yet more old school neon in Grandview. A.K. Menendian Rug. Beautiful and simple sign.








More West Fifth Avenue goodness! And HA! to the Subway at Northwest and Fifth..some Subways DO have neon, unlike their sister store on campus! The Mark Pi installation is still more interesting though, with it's faux Chinese character lighting up the night!




These were south of fifth avenue, mostly along W. 3rd. The sign at Glenn and W. 3rd makes me think I am in Jersey, not Ohio!!


This interesting installation adorns the main enterance to a recently completed (last year sometime) midrise condo building, at the corner of Northwest, W. 3rd, and Virgina Avenues. Right next to Byrne's Pub. NOt too often does one find neon advertising residential property!


Marshall's on W. 1st Avenue in central Grandview. I have had many drinks, and some food here, though it has been a while. Was a hangout of ours back when I worked in Grandview, which hasn't been for two years or so.

Be on the lookout for the Peking Dynasty sign in motion. And some more High Street fun before the weather gets wintery, which sadly, isn't too far off.

OSU CAMPUS

Months of talking about it and some seven months after I started the great tour of N. High Street way up in the Worthington area and through Clintonville, I took my camera to my old stomping grounds so to speak, one of the most heavily concetrated areas of neon in the city. I though a beautiful Tuesday night, still some two weeks before classes start would be a good time to get down to the OSU campus area. Well I was right. A lot more people hanging around than I thought. I did go to the area in mid July and it was crowded, but that was a Saturday night. Anyway, I got a first in the ten months or so I have had this blog. Some Subway guys thought I was filming their store and didn't approve. I asked them why they thought I was filming inside an empty Subway restaurant when the flaming neon of the tattoo parlor next doot was ohhh, let's say, 50x more interesting? If they put up an installation other than a generic LED "open" sign, maybe they would have had a point. Anyways, I did not take any pictures of the neonless Subway on E. 13th and High. I had a few people notice me snapping pics, and a few people who looked awfully close to my camera which made me walk faster. I walked the length from Oakland Ave down to about Lane, and walked back up, hopped in the car for the somewhat edgier southern half. I did NOT include the Gateway, as that will be part of a new post. All of the following photos were taken last night, 9/9.





These establishments are at the northern edge of what would be considered north campus, near Hudson Street and the start of Clintonville. The Blue Danube was part of when I was in the Clintonville area months ago.


Cool Asian neon. Hard to find neon around Columbus not in the Latin alphabet. Jack, by the way, lives at the Little Bar in what was formery an Asian grocery and an IHOP many many years ago. I wish there were IHOP's around Columbus these days.





Jimmy John's. Your mom told you to eat here. Free smells. Gotta love that!


The Ohio Stater 'mall'. There is/was some sort of Japanese bubble tea place. That was hot stuff back in the early 00's.






Besides an education, The Ohio State University is the place to get the obvious college essentials..beer, cheap greasy food, and tattoos. Many OSU students have spent their evenings visiting those sorts of establishments. And occasionally, all three in one drunk Friday evening. Not necessarily in that order. Well, yeah, in that order. I wouldn't be in the mood for a campus style cheesesteak AFTER having a needle under the skin.












After spending most of your student loan money on Pabst, gyros, and the making the name of that girl you met at the bar last night a permanant part of your right shoulder, I GUESS you should get some books for your classes now, huh? Lindsay? Who the HELL is Lindsay?? And why is her name on my SHOULDER?!?

I get the feeling this shop on E. 13th Avenue just east of High is NOT a plumbing store! The sadly unlit part of the sign reads 'THE BEST GLASS FOR AFTER CLASS'. I mostly stuck to beer..what a lame ass I was back in college!




More food and drink to feed Generation Y's young growing minds!




More places you may find on the OSU version of Monopoly.

The Newport Music Hall. Somewhat small and gritty, many nationally known bands got their start here. And many more ended their starts here too. I had to drive around three times to snap this subpar pic because this incredibly cute Asian girl, probably a groupie of whichever band was playing last night, was standing right at the ticket window and I didn't want her thinking I was some crazy stalker.



More CCN. Cool campus neon.




After a hard night of being a college student, time to refill the wallet, eat a burrito as big as my head, and sober up with a coffee and a donut. La Bamba is VERY good by the way..don't let the characters hanging around the alley behind it scare you. And do NOT park at the McDonald's next door..you WILL BE TOWED!


Our campus tour is almost over. I have bought many used CD's at the Singing Dog, which has some cool neon borderwork.

Varsity Club on Lane. Looks like we're not on High Street anymore, Toto.

I may be in the Grandview area this evening to watch my Sox try to knock the Tampa Bay Rays back down to earth again. Papelbon blew the save and the game last night. I can't imagine that happening again, and with Beckett on the mound, I smell a W. Since I will be in that area, maybe I will get to do that West 5th Avenue stretch I talked about doing back in spring. Also, now that I seem to be back in the swing of things, I see myself and my cameras spending more time on N. High street soon. Stay tuned!

North side neon: Morse, Maize, Indianola

I guess for me, neoning and fall go together. If you notice I start to really feel the neon energy with the re-energizing weather of the fall, and spring to an extent. Neon looks good twelve months a year, but it just takes on a more glowing alluring look on a cool fall or early winter night, or a cool spring early morning. So this past Saturday night, which I seemed to consider either the last summer day or first fall day, some after-work plans fell through. I decided to take a drive around Morse Road, Maize, and Indianola from the north end down to the campus area. It would have been a perfect night to (finally) get to the High street corridor where the neon rivals Vegas in some spots, but..Gallery Hop was going on. And, OSU won a football game earlier in the day. I don't want to get in the way of burning couches!Keep in mind, I was a student back in the days when students actually rioted because we lost to Michigan years and years in a row, there was no 'campus gateway', and I am still a huge OSU fan. I just don't think barely beating a middle of the pack MAC school is all that much to riot over. If we beat USC next week, then maybe I will get in on the action. That being said, since there are only two weekends left before students return, I am thinking a weeknight, possibly a Thursday night, this week, would be perfect to cover the short north and campus areas. Few students have yet arrived on campus, but most of the businesses should be open and aglow with neon.

For now, enjoy what I could find from the north side of Indianola, Morse, Maize..the Beechwold/northland line. I have covered this area on High street before. Indianola isn't neon heaven. but it's not neon hell either. All of the pics were taken the night of Saturday, 9/6.

A psychic reader on Morse, near Maize Rd. Most of these psychics around here are in private residences (roads like Morse and Dublin-Granville used to be two-lane roads with houses and even former farmhouses of which a few remain). I have never seen a psychic but I would love to get a reading and see what kind of neon is in my future..




Furniture Land..a furniture store which was, in it's former life..a furniture store! Most former furniture stores become charter schools or flea markets these days. Nice framing.



McDonald's, at the corner of Morse/Maize. Back in it's early days, McD's was known for it's cool neon signs, and the animated "Speedy" mascot. Once McD's became the global superpower that it is now, genericity ruled the day and those mansard roofs sported flourescent tube lighting with yellow covering. I loved those as a kid, but ya know..time for a change. This is one of few in the area that sports any neon. There are a few 'retro' styles that have Speedy ( I will show some day) and some with the "Playplace" feature neon signage.

Save-A-Lot, in an older strip mall at Morse/Maize. I like this store, but prefer Aldi. If I could find neon in an Aldi, I would be happy.

Tony's Pub, on Maize just south or Morse. Interesting framing work with a generic "OPEN" in the middle.



Comic Town, in the Toy's R Us strip mall at Morse and Maize. I like the Superman logo, but a Batman logo in neon would be a GREAT find! I have never understood things like Dungeons and Dragons, World of Warcraft, and Magic, but I admire the neon artwork.


A hottub/sauna dealer, on Indianola south of MOrse Road. Catch the wave!

Hair Concept, in a strip mall on Indianola near Oakland Park Ave.

A wine and beer store near Indianola and Broadway. I like some Red Stripe, mahnnn!

Body Wisdom. I believe a sort of massage center, on Indianola near Arcadia/Hudson.

Jumbo's Pizza formerly King's. They deliver. Call 'em. When I lived in the area, they saved me from starvation many times!

Glen Echo Service, at Hudson and N.4th street. They fix any and all cars. But their supercool neon sign needs some work. I hope to catch it again soon a litttttle brighter.

James Road area/Bexley, east Columbus

When I first covered the east side areas, specifically the areas of Berwick, Eastmoor, Whitehall, and Bexley in past posts, there were some hidden gems which I somehow overlooked or forgot and meant to return. This is the result. Most of the photos in this set are in the James Road area, between Broad and Livingston. These pics were taken on the cloudy morning of Friday, 9/5.



Franks Restaurant, just west of James Rd. on Broad Street. I am sure it is good. But they advertise 'good food'. Would anyone claim they serve bad food?


Sunny's Café, Broad and James.


I know, I violated one of my rules with these photos. Well, I violated two rules. This was taken around 10:00AM. AND, it is unlit. The sad thing is though, I don't know if it is lit up at night anymore. This is one of the very few surviving pieces of 'classic' neon in the Columbus area, meaning this sign dates to probably the late 1950's or early 60's. I HAVE seen it lit before, but not in quite a while. Or I am just not there at the right time. I took this pic on Friday morning and I went by around 11:00PM last night and it was dark. I really hope this sign has not gone dark permanantly. I seem to recall seeing lit pics of this on flickr sites of other folks. This Super Duper is on the west side of James Rd., between Main and Livingston. It is a beautiful piece of roadside art that just takes anyone back to a simpler time. Even those of us who weren't around in that simpler time.


Pawn shop next to the Super Duper. This was one of the few times I went neoning with my daughter in the car since it was morning. She saw the diamond and wanted me to take a picture of it! Of course! Girls..diamonds..she is learning young ahhhhh!

The Pawn Shop

In tough times, when we are low on cash but high on 'stuff', where do we go? To DA PAWN SHOP!
This is a tribute to the place we go when the rent is due and the stereo isn't sounding so good! Or when that wedding ring will buy groceries now that my a-hole of a husband or wife decided to play with the babysitter!

Also..notice the framing job on the furniture store next door. Wicked! All of this can be seen just west of Morse and Cleveland on the north end of Columbus.