Cool Signs, David!

David Steinlicht has posted some photos of this wonderful set of signs that was recently uncovered on a building along University Avenue in St. Paul. Check them out on his blog.

For a solid stretch of the mid-2oth century, University Avenue was the place to buy a car in the Twin Cities, so these signs are a glimpse of what the street was like in its heyday.

I can almost visualize the day when the signs were covered over by the cheap pseudo-modernist facade that until recently hid them. The business owners probably thought they were improving the building.

I wonder what the plan for the building (and the signs) is now?

UPDATE, April 22, 2008: David has posted an update to his post, including a photo of what the building looked like with the old facade covering the signs. It was a generic tan color, with a small blue awning over the door that read CASH-n-PAWN.

More distressingly, I drove past the building (which is a block or two east of Snelling) tonight and saw that the left side has already been painted over with gray (primer?) paint. I guess the intent is to just cover it up. So goes another little piece of our history. Makes me even more glad that David managed to capture its one brief moment of glory.