612 5th Ave, Brooklyn. (T. Rinaldi)
(NYPL)
(NYPL)
The neon enthusiast wonders: could this relic be exhumed and restored, perhaps even re-lit for all to enjoy as one of the oldest surviving remnants of the early days of New York neon? Could the bagel shop below live with a big sign outside advertising a drug store that no longer exists? Would the odd newcomer or neighborhood outsider, erroneously lured here in search of Tylenol or toothpaste, be consoled in their frustration by the charm of such a unique landmark of the streetscape? As we pause in contemplation, this rare heirloom of New York's ancient neon past remains forgotten, hidden in plain sight.
(Google StreetView)
IN OTHER NEON NEWS:
• Sad (if not surprising) news from Brooklyn: Hinch's of Bay Ridge has finally bitten the dust completely, the last of its neon gone - via the Brooklyn Eagle and ProjectNeon.
• Keep an eye out for upcoming events related to the release of James and Karla Murray's new book "Storefront II" - a continuation of their previous work by the same name.
• In Troy (upstate NY), a movement to preserve the signs of the late great South End Tavern.
• From the NYT, a romantic homage to the fading neon of Hong Kong.
• Cool news from this summer - a neon re-lighting at Evansville, Indiana's historic greyhound depot.
• In Baltimore, a garden of preserved signs.
• For the neon bookshelf, a really nice looking new book on Warsaw Neon by author Ilona Karwinska (who also gave us the book Polish Cold War Neon).
• From the typography department (not neon) - A design tribute to Jean Baptiste de Pian's "Alphabet Picturesque" of 1843.
• A fascinating gallery of 1970s Detroit signscapes by photographer Donn Thorson... • ...and a project to document and preserve Detroit's historic signage today.
• And last but certainly not least: great news from LA (Glendale), where the Museum of Neon Art is finally set to re-open in its permanent new home.
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