Trim & Upholstery Supplies

Yale Union Laundry Building, 1908

This small sign, painted on metal, is on the west wall of the Yale Union Laundry Building and is probably a remnant of its use as the Perfect Fit - McDonald, Inc. headquarters.

I've added photos of a few other interesting details of the building. It's worth a trip over to SE 10th and Belmont to take a look.

2009:

Perfect Fit - McDonald, Inc.

Yale Union Laundry Building, 1908

Perfect Fit Manufacturing and McDonald & Company merged under the Perfect Fit-McDonald name in 1980; I'd guess this sign dates from then. They have since moved from this building so I suspect the sign will disappear once the owners find new tenants. It's visible on SE Morrison between 10th and 11th.

2009:

Hippo Hardware

Hippo Hardware Store, 1921

Hippo Hardware has carried these signs since 1976. The most striking part of the display is the crowned and toga-ed hippos on pedestals adorning the six curbside columns. Hippo Hardware is on the corner of SE 11th and Burnside.

2009:

Rebel SK8s

Building: 1950

This sign is obviously way out of the normal for the type I chronicle here. Two reasons: 1) I like it for its color, attitude and home-made quality. And 2) I'm lazy after a long Memorial day weekend. Enjoy this yourself at SE Ankeny at Sandy.

2009:

Cromwell Tailors

Hippo Hardware Store Building, 1921

The back of the Hippo Hardware store at SE 11th and Burnside has this nice old sign. The top line is pretty sketchy but it's something like,

??? Tailored
Clothing
CROMWELL
TAILORS
The view is obscured by trees on SE 11th, so go down to SE 10th and Ankeny to see this sign.

2009:

Loans

1931

There's very little of this "MORTGAGE LOANS" sign left to see. Most painted signs just fade into obscurity; this one is peeling off. I wouldn't give it too many years to be even this visible. The top photo is the best view of the sign, from the adjoining parking lot. The bottom photo is the sidewalk view. More ascetically pleasing but mostly obscured by trees.

This is on the east wall of the Old Wives' Tales restaurant at SE 13th and Burnside.

2009:

Balzer Machinery Co.

By the looks of the script, this sign looks like it may date back to the 1970s. It's degrading nicely and the original orange paint has a nice rust-like look about it. This is on the north side of the building; there's another similar one on the south side. See it from SE 8th and Lincoln.

2009:

Miller's Truck Parts & Equipment Co.

1937

This still-colorful sign on the back of the Portland Engine Rebuilders shop has at least two layers. I can't read the yellow-lettered lower layer but the top white letters are still quite visible

MILLER'S TRUCK PARTS & EQUIPMENT CO.
TRUCK PARTS - TIRES
The building is at SE 10th and Hawthorne; the sign is best seen from Madison.

2009:

Empire Rubber & Supply

Part of the Empire Rubber & Supply Co. complex at SE Water & Taylor suffered a fire in September 2008. During the ongoing restoration process most of the building has been repainted and the old signs on the west and north have not been restored. The east wall, facing the railroad tracks, has not been repainted and the old sign still remains.

For now this will go into the Extinct category. We'll see if all the signs reappear in the near future. Stay tuned...

2007 (west wall):
2009 (west wall):
2007 (north wall):
2009 (north wall):
2007 (east wall):
2009 (east wall):

Salesroom 2nd & Taylor

Chas. H. Lilly Co. Building, 1911

The back side of the Chas. H. Lilly Co. building featured earlier has one more sign, this one on the west facing wall. It's below the all-too-obvious "CITY SIGN CO." at the top.

"SALESROOM ??? 2nd & TAYLOR" can be made out fairly easily. If you can read the word after Salesroom, let me know. You can see if from SE 2nd between Oak and Ash.

2009:

Fisher's, Part 4

Building, 1921

This is the fourth "FISHER'S BLEND FLOUR" sign I've covered in the Portland area. The others are large, commercial size signs and as were the others, this dates from the early 20th century. But this is different in that it was painted on the side of a residential garage. See it on SE Milwaukie just south of Rhine.

2008:

Woolworth's Sweet Shop

Building, 1911

This fine old sign was probably vividly colored when new. "EAT AND ENJOY" is still visible in the upper left while the nicely scripted "WOOLWORTH'S" splashes across the top-center. The building dates to 1911 and the sign painters helpfully dated their work with "1912" along the bottom. This is on the south facing wall of the building at SE 13th and Tenino.

2008:

Syrup Pepsin

Sellwood Building, 1912

DR. CALDWELL'S
SYRUP PEPSIN
CURES CONSTIPATION

This great old sign probably dates back to the building's origins; the heyday of the Syrup Pepsin name was roughly 1900-1934. The Sellwood Building is at SE 13th and Tacoma. The ad, in the heart of the Sellwood district, is best seen if you walk half a block north on 13th, or as the bottom photo shows, on SE Spokane just west of 13th.

2009:

National Laundry

National Laundry Building, 1925

This is very hard to read but I was able to make out (through the magic of Photoshop) "S.H. SAMMONS" across the top, and "NATIONAL LAUNDRY" in big red letters. The old sign is on the west-facing wall but the south and east walls feature some neat cast concrete ornamental reliefs. Take a look at SE Clay between 8th and 9th.

2008:

Drive In

Building, 1925

Urban decay at its finest! This looks like it may have been an auto-related business years ago, but that's just a guess. This is easily visible driving out SE Hawthorne at 10th.

2008:

Moores Co.

Building, 1911

There's not much left of this sign. I think I can make out "... MOORES CO." across the top. There's much more that's totally unreadable. Check it out yourself - the building is at SE 8th and Hawthorne; see the sign from SE 9th.

2008:

Masons Supply Company

Building, 1909

These "MASONS SUPPLY COMPANY" signs are not nearly as old as most I've listed here but they have a nice style and patina. And the north wall is truly impressive in size. SE 12th and Clinton.

2009:

Mitchell Lewis & Staver

City Liquidators Building, 1905

These signs may date to the building's 1905 origins. They are very hard to make out now and hard to photograph; the street is narrow and the signs are wide and/or high. It's a wonder these signs were spared the spray gun. There are not that many wood frame buildings left in the CEID, especially of this size. See it at SE 2nd and Morrison.

Mitchell Lewis & Staver is still a major Northwest pump distributor, now located in Wilsonville.

2009:

Strictly Cash

Powell's Books, 1918

The repair work at Powell's City of Books just keeps unwrapping more gifts. Following the uncovering of old structural beams from the building's days as an auto dealership, posted here and here, this newest discovery reveals two layers. "ALL REPAIRS & PARTS" and "ALL LABOR & MATERIALS" share the top line; I can't tell which was painted first. "STRICTLY CASH" is on the bottom line.

2009:

Shell Gasoline

Building: 1921

Ouch. This one hurts. For years this "SHELL GASOLINE" sign had been carefully painted around, the gray building paint carefully avoiding the old ad. Then in the last two years somebody had the great idea to what, restore the sign? This literally hurts my eyes.

This scallop shell, or 'pecten', emblem style was used between 1948 and 1955. See what's left of it (if you dare) at 726 SE 6th Avenue between Alder and Morrison.

2007:
2009:

Dairy Cooperative Association

I haven't been able to find out much about this building. It was most recently owned and occupied by Land O'Lakes Purina Feed but the property is for sale now. You can see this building crossing the Ross Island bridge eastbound, or stop for a better view at SE 8th at Woodward.

2009:

Ingersoll Rand Equipment Co.

Taylor Electric Supply, 1936

This building was the home of Taylor Electric Supply Co. until a devastating fire in 2006. Luckily for us, that fire burned off enough white paint to uncover the old "INGERSOLL RAND EQUIPMENT CO." sign and logo underneath. You can see what remains from SE 2nd between Clay and Market.

2009:

Shleifer Furniture Co.

Shleifer Furniture Co., 1906

Like my previous post, this "SHLEIFER FURNITURE CO." sign on the back of their Second Empire Baroque building at SE Grand and Stark may be a well-kept older sign, or it may be fairly new, but it still looks nice, fitting well with the building and the neighborhood. You can see it from the building's backside at SE MLK and Stark.

2009:

Shleifer Furniture Co.

Shleifer Furniture Building, 1936

I don't know the original age of this "SHLEIFER FURNITURE CO." sign but it's been maintained in the old style and looks nice. Nice justaposition with the rusty old metal sign too. They're both appropriate to the building and the surroundings. They've somehow stayed ahead of the taggers by the looks of the top edge too.

This building is on SE 2nd between Ash and Pine.

2009:

Truck Driveway!

Jacob & Gile Building, 1920

Just below the "JACOB & GILE" sign on my previous post is another classic. You have to look closely down near the ground to see:

NO PARKING ANYTIME
TRUCK DRIVEWAY!

I especially like the stylized "anytime" and exclamation point. Good stuff. SE Water Ave. between Main and Salmon.

2009:

Jacobs & Gile

Jacobs & Gile Building, 1920

This is an excellent old ghost sign; classic style, nicely weathered, still intact and readable.

JACOBS & GILE
STEEL JOBBERS
BLACK & GALVANIZED SHEETS
MILD STEEL BARS
BOILER TUBES
TANK PLATES, ANGLES
CHANNELS, RIVETS

Now on the south wall of the Pratt & Larson Tile building on SE Water Ave. between Main and Salmon.

2007:

Louie Louie

Northwestern Studios, 1916

This is a not the kind of advertising sign I'm normally looking for but I thought I'd highlight this missing sign (or plaque), if for no other reason than its impact on popular culture. This building housed the Northwestern Studios in 1963 when The Kingsmen recorded perhaps the best-known version of "Louie Louie" here.

The first photo below shows some vertical white stripes surrounded by four holes. At one time there was a brass plaque here, noting that this was the recording site. It was stolen long ago, leaving nothing but some glue and holes. Soon the whole thing will be gone; the site will be demolished to make way for the new Weave Building. The "ENTRANCE ON 14th STREET" sign, partially visible in the upper-left of the lower photo, will disappear forever too.

See it while you can at SW 13th and West Burnside.

2009:
2009:

Avery & Co. Hardware Update

Trivet Towers, 1902

I had commented on my original post that it looks like the building owner was concerned with preserving this fine old sign. Instead, it appears it was being prepared for what Pete Vogel calls the "brutal abomination" of a vinyl poster stuck atop the old sign. What a terrible loss; this was a great sight to see dead ahead of you coming down SW 3rd from Burnside. Thanks to Pete for reminding me to get a photo of this.

2009:

2008:

Gladding, McBean & Co.

Gladding, McBean & Co. Warehouse, 1912

Gladding, McBean began manufacturing clay sewer pipe in California in 1875. Sometime in the early 20th Century they used this warehouse at 79 SE Taylor, the same building as my last post. Walk around to the building's east side and you can see this, as well as another old sign extending the width of the building just below the Gladding, McBean sign. I can make out "PORTLAND WAREHOUSE" but the rest is lost to decay.

2009: