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August 2001: Kummerlowe Archive |
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Above
& Below: The larger than life 1960 McDonald's single
arch Speedee sign from Madison Heights, Michigan is on display
at the Henry Ford Museum's Automobile in American Life exhibit. |
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| Video clip
August 2001: Kummerlowe Archive |
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| Photos
1998: Kummerlowe Archive |
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Sited
in Biloxi, Mississippi on Pass Road just west of Keesler
Air Force Base, the original McDonald's store was a candy
striped Golden Arches unit. It was reportedly destroyed
on August 18, 1969 by Hurricane Camille. While the location
had to be reconstructed its single arch Speedee sign incredibly
endured! At the end of the 20th century it had become
one of only a handful of surviving Speedees, and its maintenance
was a source of pride for the local franchisee as well
as a living museum piece.
Having
lived through Camille, Speedee was no match for Hurricane
Katrina. As the tropical cyclone slammed into the Gulf
Coast with its tremendous winds and 27 foot storm surge
on August 29, 2005 it rendered Speedee a mangled and twisted
unrepairable wreck.
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| Google
Street View c. 2010 |
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Above:
Hurricane Katrina destroyed Biloxi's terrific single arch Speedee
sign but left the mansard restaurant largely intact. The mangled
sign was removed and its landscaped former spot remained empty. |
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| Photos
April 28, 2005: Kummerlowe Archive |
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The
American Sign Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio counts in its collection
a to be restored single arch Speedee sign. Note that the museum's
Speedee appears to be a bit more stout than the one that had been
in Biloxi.
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"The
American Sign Museum celebrates the art of signmaking and tells
the history of American commerce and culture thru signs...The
museum fosters a genuine respect for the place signs hold in
American life. It carries a powerful, positive message about
signs directly to the people who need to understand this industry
and its place in business and culture."
www.signmuseum.com
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| Photo
April 2003: Kummerlowe Archive |
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2003: Justin Kimbrough |
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| Photo
April 2003: Kummerlowe Archive |
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Above
& Higher: The Stuart, Florida McDonald's built
in the retro style similar to the Oshkosh,
Wisconsin unit, featured an original yet small size single
arch Speedee sign.
Right:
Green Bay, Wisconsin's McDonald's at 1587 Shawano Avenue was
among the last to maintain its large size single arch Speedee
sign. A brief discussion with one of the restaurant's managers
revealed that vandals repeatedly broke the sign's neon and
that the multicolored vertical tubes flanking Speedee were
not replaced. Moreover the manager said that the restaurant
itself (not shown) was the original candy striped arched building
converted into an archless mansard. |
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August 2001: Kummerlowe Archive |
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| Photo
April 2003: Kummerlowe Archive |
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Above:
This single arch shield or crest sign at Winter Haven, Florida
was among the last few in use. Many single arch crest signs were
installed following Speedee's 1960s retirement.
Below:
usually referred to as a skinny double arch sign, this one in
the St. Louis, Missouri area survived from the 1970s. |
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| Photo
August 2000: Kummerlowe Archive |
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| Photos
1997: Kummerlowe Archive |
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Above
& Below: On Perkins Road near College Drive in Baton
Rouge, Louisiana, this location was typical of the Mansard era and
featured an infrequently used sign type which seemed to de emphasize
the Golden Arches. |
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