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Great old signs of Bakersfield
Well, they took down the Far East cafe sign on 18th Street yesterday.
I like old-style signs that had eternal pizazz. But cities pass sign ordinances so that all the old, big great ones get trashed. A couple get a reprieve, such as Guthrie's Alley Cat. One of the signs that was executed by the sign law was Let's Eat, the huge Rancho Bakersfield sign posted by Highway 99 and Airport Drive that had a flashing arrow pointing to the restaurant. It was so garish that it was wonderful. I realize it had to go. The motel is now a drug treatment center. A new sign that could have said, "Let's not shoot up" just wouldn't be the same. Do you have any favorite Bakersfield signs which either are, or were, here? Posted by Steve E. Swenson 40 comments from 16 users
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posted by
mattloch
on Jun 20, 2007 at 08:50 AM
The "Alamo Tombstone".
posted by
NancyII
on Jun 20, 2007 at 08:53 AM
The old 7 Up sign that used to be at the bottling plant on East 18-19th.
posted by
NancyII
on Jun 20, 2007 at 08:57 AM
Steve..are you talking about the sign at the restaurant/motel itself? I don't remember one on the highway but then..I forget a lot these days..LOL. I have a postcard of the sign that sat on Golden State (old 99) and F Street. I kind of started a post card collection of old places around town. One day I may get energetic enough to scan them and put them on here. I think you'd all enjoy them.
posted by
sagefever
on Jun 20, 2007 at 09:09 AM
Fedway"s, The Granada Theater,loved that 7 up one,my mom was pals of the owners,so we went there quite a bit, The Plunge ( after the plunge was gone a birds nest was under her raised arms,got a kick outta that) a very old sign for the Hippodrome Theater that read "New Hip"..good question Steve,but I with Nancy on forgetting things..wasn't there a coke sign too? The old hotels on Union used to have some good ones, a lamp shop on Chester had a lamp shaped one(duh)and I vaguely recall a electric repair sign with a light bulb??
posted by
pamg
on Jun 20, 2007 at 09:34 AM
Sam Woo's Chinese Laundry on 19th Street. I was saddened to suddenly one day see that it was gone and the whole building "modernized" and I wanted to cry yesterday when they took down the Far East sign. I can only hope that the bottom portion of the sign, the one that says "Fried Shrimp" will be moved and preserved along with the pagoda.
posted by
randomfactor
on Jun 20, 2007 at 09:38 AM
The electric repair sign read "Jim Baker Electrifier" It's mentioned in the story as being at the museum already. I love neon signs.
posted by
jasonsperber
on Jun 20, 2007 at 09:52 AM
I'm glad the sign was preserved, but the part that of the story that got me was this:
When we first moved here, I used to entertain a never-gonna-happen dream of somehow rehabbing that space, with sign intact, as a post-modern Asian-American-fusion restaurant. Alas, I am no restaurateur. I just wish they could've found somebody who would've wanted to recreate the space with the sign still there. posted by
CalamityJanie
on Jun 20, 2007 at 09:58 AM
I was sad to see it go, too. I always wondered why someone else didn't open another Asian restaurant there. I wish I had taken a photo of it when I had the chance. On the good side, I'm glad it didn't get thrown away. If the place had stood vacant for much longer, that might have happened.I love neon signs too, Random. Nancy, you should definitely start that scanning project! A lot of people would love to see those postcards. posted by
sagefever
on Jun 20, 2007 at 10:00 AM
yes,they put another one on 24th st,at the gas station across from Pep~Boys,that one had a gillion light bulbs~yes that is a real number! lol
posted by
OldBlue56
on Jun 20, 2007 at 10:27 AM
The Lakeview Inn sign at the corner of Lakeview Ave. and Virginia Ave.
posted by
CalamityJanie
on Jun 20, 2007 at 10:33 AM
Pam.....YES! I think it is very important that the bottom part of the sign is preserved as well. It's part of the whole deal. Steve, do you have any info on this????
posted by
jfrancais
on Jun 20, 2007 at 10:39 AM
Lakeview and Virginia? Man, you are truly an Eastsider, OlBlue! I lived on Virginia for a little while (One of my many residences growing up).
posted by
steveeswenson
on Jun 20, 2007 at 10:51 AM
Calamity,I checked our computer and paper archives and I can find nothing on the Sam Woo's sign. So I don't have info. Sorry. posted by
mattcub
on Jun 20, 2007 at 10:52 AM
I always enjoyed the sequential neon stars and the huge 99 on the face of the 99 Drive-In Theater
posted by
antiextremism
on Jun 20, 2007 at 11:09 AM
Love the old neon signs. Anyone remember the old Coca Cola sign? I still like this one.....
posted by
CalamityJanie
on Jun 20, 2007 at 12:06 PM
Sorry, Steve, I meant the bottom part of the Far East sign.
posted by
pamg
on Jun 20, 2007 at 02:26 PM
Steve, I don't believe Sam Woo's Laundry sign said anything about "Fried Shrimp". : )
posted by
randomfactor
on Jun 20, 2007 at 02:35 PM
Antiex, regarding sign upkeep: There used to be a SHELL station in Inyokern where the lights of the letter "S" were burned out for a long time...
posted by
TomW
on Jun 20, 2007 at 02:46 PM
RF, there was another one on Highway 66 near the border that had the type of thing. Nothing for miles but the old laval flows and the S had fallen completely off the sign.
posted by
pamg
on Jun 20, 2007 at 04:07 PM
I believe there have been numerous "HELL" signs over the years, all over California.
posted by
anonymous
on Jun 20, 2007 at 04:10 PM
Don't forget the old sign in oildale " Don't let the sun set on your a**, Ni***. The sign is gone but the sentiments remain.
posted by
antiextremism
on Jun 20, 2007 at 04:14 PM
Well in Inyokern that's pretty appropriate, eh RF? LOL
posted by
RoyTullis
on Jun 20, 2007 at 04:15 PM
anon. Why do you have to take an interesting subject about signs and turn it into a "hate" blog. Go play in the traffic...
posted by
randomfactor
on Jun 20, 2007 at 04:17 PM
Roy, the sign Annie was talking about ought to be in the Kern County Museum collection. It explains a *LOT* about Kern County History. Along with a bunch of the Dust Bowl-era signage. posted by
anonymous
on Jun 20, 2007 at 04:18 PM
History is history, I did not create it nor will I rewrite it, you can fool yourself all you want, it is OK with me.
posted by
RoyTullis
on Jun 20, 2007 at 04:19 PM
I don't know if anyone else remembers it but I seem to recall a big coke sign on one of the Chester Ave.buildings downtown. I think it had a thermometer on it. This was before the earthquake.
posted by
pamg
on Jun 20, 2007 at 04:20 PM
There was a Coke bottle with a thermometer on it. I've seen it in pre-earthquake pics on Bakersfield history.
posted by
RoyTullis
on Jun 20, 2007 at 04:22 PM
r f. Not just Kern County history but the history of California. But that belongs in another blog under Calif. Historic Signs.
posted by
antiextremism
on Jun 20, 2007 at 07:18 PM
That's the coke sign I was refering to earlier in the thread Roy. I can't seem to find a photo of it though.
posted by
antiextremism
on Jun 20, 2007 at 07:56 PM
Found one! Not only a shot of the Coca Cola sign, but also a shot of the original Beale Tower, post earthquake...
posted by
RoyTullis
on Jun 20, 2007 at 08:00 PM
Yep! That's the sign. Does anyone remember the trolley tracks that ran down the middle of Chester. I remember them faintly but do not remember ever riding on it,
posted by
sagefever
on Jun 20, 2007 at 08:16 PM
My Nana talked about them,plenty of pictures..There was a coke cola bottling plant on Union,the freeway is almost on top of it now,but ??
posted by
antiextremism
on Jun 20, 2007 at 08:28 PM
The trolley tracks are a little before my time Roy, but here's a little known fact. Right across the street from Guthries Alley Cat bar was another club called Suds Tavern. It was a small bar that had a back area that was totally enclosed except for a roof. That is where they used to keep the horses that pulled the trolleys. The concrete floor has a drain in the middle to hose down the....well you know. LOL In fact, I think before it was Suds it was called the Horse's Tail or something similar. I believe a sushi bar called Azuls(?) is there now. posted by
NancyII
on Jun 20, 2007 at 09:08 PM
I remember the trolly tracks on Chester but the cars had long since stopped running. I also remember the feel when you drove onto them driving parellel to them. The car kind of skittered. I'll do an album up old Bakersfield pictures but will do it on a blog about them since I don't know how to put an album here.
posted by
NancyII
on Jun 20, 2007 at 09:49 PM
Check out my new blog for vintage Bakersfield pictures. You'll recognize a lot of them. These are ones I already had on my computer. I'll scan more later. Don't forget to enlarge them to see the captions.
posted by
steveeswenson
on Jun 21, 2007 at 06:32 AM
Antiex,Thanks for finding the Coca Cola sign. I love the other one in the photo -- End of Curb. Like the folks back then didn't know where the sidewalk ended? posted by
antiextremism
on Jun 21, 2007 at 10:02 AM
I'd laugh at that too Steve, but I almost exploded my knee steppin' off a railroad tie from one level of my backyard to the other last night. LOL
posted by
any1
on Jun 21, 2007 at 10:31 AM
My maternal grandfather, who was from Idaho, spent some time here in Bakersfield working for the trolley co. before he headed to So. Cal. and met my grandmother. Before they started renovating the Padre I enjoyed the neon sign when the e and l were burnt out and it said HOT PADRE . (LOL Spam code: UBSHE) posted by
sagefever
on Jun 23, 2007 at 04:16 PM
anti that it was "the Horse's Tail" they had an old thing _amagig that went around the neck of a horse,with a "tail" poking thru for a sign~I always heard it was where they kept the horses for the fire brigade~but there is that old picture with the rig being pulled by men so..??
posted by
pamg
on Jun 25, 2007 at 09:17 AM
Thank you amxscott for the info, and thanks for your careful handling of an old classic!
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