Monastery at Large

Category: Relic Signs

  • Relic Signs: Thunderbird Inn (1964) – Savannah, Georgia

    Thunderbird Inn (1964). 611 West Oglethorpe Avenue, Savannah, Georgia.
    Thunderbird Inn (1964). 611 West Oglethorpe Avenue, Savannah, Georgia.1

    I took a midnight Greyhound from Savannah to Atlanta once—never again.

    The only good thing about hanging out at Savannah’s bus station was that I got this shot of the sign for the Thunderbird Inn across the street.

    The landmark neon sign on Oglethorpe Avenue dates to the motel’s opening in 1964 and has been remarkably well-preserved.

    While not nearly as old as most of Savannah’s historic structures, it’s a unique and colorful component of the city’s fabric.

    Location of Thunderbird Inn

    References

    1. History – Thunderbird Inn ↩︎

  • Relic Signs: Sugar -n- Spice (1961) – Spartanburg, South Carolina

    Sugar 'n' Spice (1961). 212 South Pine Street, Spartanburg, South Carolina.
    Sugar -n- Spice (1961). 212 South Pine Street, Spartanburg, South Carolina.

    It isn’t difficult to determine the date of this roadside relic—it’s right on the sign.

    Location of Sugar ‘n’ Spice

    Besides the five or six surviving buildings designed by G.L. Norrman, there isn’t a whole lot in Spartanburg, South Carolina, worth mentioning, but Sugar ‘n’ Spice was a pleasant surprise when I discovered it.

    At the restaurant’s 40th anniversary in 2001, the owner revealed that he had considered removing the restaurant’s distinctive Googie-style canopy but ultimately reconsidered: “I did a little poll, and it was not even close … the canopy’s staying.”1

    A wise decision.

    Googie-style canopy at Sugar 'n' Spice, Spartanburg, South Carolina
    Googie-style canopy at Sugar ‘n’ Spice, Spartanburg, South Carolina

    References

    1. Restaurant celebrates 40 years SUGAR ‘N’ SPICE – GoUpstate ↩︎

  • Relic Signs: Carter’s Cleaners & Laundry – Forest Park, Georgia

    Carter's Cleaners & Laundry (circa 1950s). 954 Main Street, Forest Park, Georgia.
    Carter’s Cleaners & Laundry (circa 1950s). 954 Main Street, Forest Park, Georgia.

    Carter’s Cleaners & Laundry in Forest Park, Georgia, opened in 1950. However, I suspect this fantastic Googie-style sign debuted in 1957, when the business expanded by 800 square feet,1 “providing a new front.”2 among other improvements.

    The business ended circa 2009,3 and the building has been boarded up for years, with its relic sign left to rust.

    Location of Carter’s Cleaners & Laundry

    References

    1. “Carter’s Cleaners And Laundry Adds 800 Square Feet To Main Street Plant”. The Forest Park Free Press and Clayton County News and Banner (Forest Park, Georgia), November 20, 1957, p. 2. ↩︎
    2. “Know Your Businessmen”. The Forest Park Free Press and Clayton County News and Banner (Forest Park, Georgia), March 12, 1958, p. 1. ↩︎
    3. “Carter, Mary”. The Atlanta Constitution, June 4, 2014, p. B6. ↩︎

  • Relic Signs: YWCA – Birmingham, Alabama

    YWCA (circa 1948). 309 23rd Street North, Birmingham, Alabama.
    YWCA (circa 1948). 309 23rd Street North, Birmingham, Alabama.

    The YWCA in downtown Birmingham, Alabama, has occupied the former Birmingham Athletic Club (1925)1 since 1948.2

    This fine vintage sign, sans its original neon, hangs on the building’s southwest corner (3rd Avenue North and 23rd Street North) and appears to date from that time.

    Location of YWCA

    References

    1. “Birmingham Athletic Club Moves Into Its New Home”. The Birmingham Age-Herald, August 1, 1925, p. 14. ↩︎
    2. “YWCA To Purchase Dixie Carlton As $400,000 Home”. The Birmingham Post, February 20, 1948, p. 1. ↩︎

  • Relic Signs: Dixie Drive-In – Greenwood, South Carolina

    Dixie Drive-In (1959). 600 Montague Avenue, Greenwood, South Carolina.
    Dixie Drive-In (1959). 600 Montague Avenue, Greenwood, South Carolina.1

    I’ve passed through Greenwood, South Carolina, countless times on back-and-forth trips between Abbeville and Newberry, two towns that contain surviving works by G.L. Norrman.

    On my last pass, I was happy to find this well-preserved sign for the Dixie Drive-In, which apparently debuted with the restaurant’s opening in 1959.

    This is a true Googie relic, which is quite rare in the Deep South. Sorry, I ain’t calling it Dixie.

    Location of Dixie Drive-In

    References

    1. “Announcing the Grand Opening of the Dixie Drive-In” (advertisement). The Index-Journal (Greenwood, South Carolina), October 17, 1959, p. 3. ↩︎