AT HOME IN TACOMA
A blog about all the little things that make Tacoma
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Neon Signage In Tacoma: A Photoblog
Sharon Benson • October 18, 2019
Neon signs found their origins in 1910 – exhibited by Georges Claude at the Paris Motor Show – functioning as a mashup of art and science. The beauty of the neon gas being directed through molded glass, becoming brilliantly luminescent in whatever shape you wish, was almost immediately adopted by anyone who wished to draw people to their business.
In America, neon signs found their glory days from the '20s through the '60s, at a time when cities were becoming increasingly metropolitan, transportation was more readily available, and nightlife was hitting its stride. Any old sign would have been missed by the after hours crowd, so the tantalizing glow of neon served as a beacon to lure the night owls.
As for Tacoma, the ghosts of the city's past mix so fascinatingly with its new landscape – the classic architecture, the fading signs painted onto brick walls and, yes, the neon. We have so many favorite signs around town, some of which are new, and some of which have weathered decades of Tacoma rain. Here are just a few that we love.
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