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| Holiday
Inn |
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The lost Icon |
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Hardly
garish, Kemmons Wilson's Great Sign with its 1,500 feet of
neon tubing and 500+ incandescent light bulbs was an American
icon. It represented a visionary revolution in the hospitality
industry and was the pinnacle of the art of brand creation. |
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Left:
8mm film clip ca. 1965:
Kummerlowe Archive |
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Postcard ca. 1960s: Kummerlowe Archive |
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| Monroe,
LA - 2102 Louisville
Ave |
- Distinguishing
themselves, many early HIs prominently featured the word "Hotel"
in all caps on their Great Signs
- Among
the first in the Pelican State, Monroe opened about 1956
- Modernised
with a new Great Sign in the 1970s
- Perhaps
last branded as a Travelodge
- Aerial
View
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| Postcard
ca. 1970s: Kummerlowe Archive |
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| Sept.
5, 1972: Kummerlowe Archive |
| Shreveport-Bossier
City , LA |
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150 Hamilton Ln |
- Opened
about 1968 with 142 rooms
- The
photos taken a year apart, note the "environmentalisation"
of the restaurant with the cedar-shake mansard
- Popularly
used as promotional tools, the Great Sign's marquee-reader boards
welcomed many to HI's with clever puns--My Dad was attending a
Gym Dandy swing set promotional meeting not a convocation of swingers!
- Last
branded as an America's Best Value Inn
- Aerial
View
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| Nov.
17, 1973: Kummerlowe Archive |
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Postcard ca. 1960s: Kummerlowe Archive |
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| Alexandria,
LA - MacArthur @ N.
Bolton Ave. |
- Opened
mid 1950s prior to 1958
- All
single level with 125 rooms--additional units added later
- Abandoned
in early 2000s but possibly recycled
- Aerial
View
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| June
15, 2002: Kummerlowe Archive |
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| 1968
Directory cover: Kummerlowe Archive |
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