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All the United States Arizona Casa Grande Casa Grande Neon Sign Park
AO Edited

Casa Grande Neon Sign Park

This collection of vintage signs reflects the long and colorful history of this Arizona town.

Casa Grande, Arizona

Added By
Michele Sampson
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Horse Shoe Motel sign, 1953, with replica Paul the Waver.   CuriousMichele / Atlas Obscura User
Horse Shoe Motel sign, 1953, with replica Paul the Waver.   CuriousMichele / Atlas Obscura User
Arizona Edison sign, 1950, and Valley National Bank sign, 1950.   CuriousMichele / Atlas Obscura User
Ralph’s Cafe sign, 1956, with Casa Grande Photo Shop sign, 1950 and Dairy Queen sign, c. 1976.   CuriousMichele / Atlas Obscura User
Dairy Queen sign and Dairy Queen Cone, c. 1976-1987.   CuriousMichele / Atlas Obscura User
Goddard Shoe Store sign, 1945. Goddard’s specialized in Red Goose brand shoes.   CuriousMichele / Atlas Obscura User
Hotel Sacaton sign, 1954.   CuriousMichele / Atlas Obscura User
Coxon’s Building Materials sign, c. 1950.   CuriousMichele / Atlas Obscura User
  CuriousMichele / Atlas Obscura User
Chevrolet tailgate bench.   CuriousMichele / Atlas Obscura User
Dodge Ram tailgate bench.   CuriousMichele / Atlas Obscura User
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About

The city of Casa Grande, named after the Hohokam ruins nearby, has a long and colorful history. Founded in 1879 during Arizona’s mining boom, the town transitioned to an agricultural community in the 1890s when the mining boom slowed. The change helped Casa Grande avoid the dismal fate of many other boom towns in the western U.S.

The Casa Grande Neon Sign Park consists of vintage signs saved and collected from the surrounding area over the years, resulting in a collection that reflects local history. The exception is the Dairy Queen “lips” sign, which was relocated from its home on Route 66 in Holbrook, but is the same style as local DQ signage of the period.

Several of the signs required extensive restoration, including the Arizona Edison sign, which was missing the neon, and the Goddard Shoe Store sign, whose goose was missing its head. Paul the Waver, standing by the sign for the Horse Shoe Motel, is a reproduction based on a mid-century photograph. The light behind his waving arm indicated when the motel had vacancies.

Accompanying the signs are bronze story plaques in the shape of the State of Arizona with a green patina background representing the city’s copper mining heritage. There are also custom pedestals incorporating “Pueblo Deco” symbols, a hybrid architectural style popular in the Southwest. The park is accented with vintage license plates and benches made out of tailgates.

Casa Grande came in second place in an American Express Partners in Preservation program competition and received $144,000 toward the project.  It is located in Historic Downtown Casa Grande at the site of Casa Grande’s first school, Central School, which was built in 1917 and torn down in 1974.

Related Tags

Neon Parks Signs Route 66 Americana

Know Before You Go

Signs are lit up nightly from dusk until 11:00 PM.  

Community Contributors

Added By

CuriousMichele

Edited By

pcranny

  • pcranny

Published

October 14, 2021

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Casa Grande Neon Sign Park
408 N Sacaton St
Casa Grande, Arizona, 85122
United States
32.878961, -111.75434
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