Nelson Warehouse

Harrison and Yale, South Lake Union

Clearly a double sign, but I'm unable to make out what's beneath "Nelson". Let me know what you think.

Another building being restored, unfortunately I don't know anything about this one yet. Will update when I learn more.

Coca Cola / Senart's Oyster House

8th and G SE, Washington D.C.

Some lovely green color left in these:

Drink Coca Cola It's Refreshing 5c

Senart's Oyster House







Unfortunately I wasn't able to capture many ghost signs while visiting the east coast; either they were a blur as I whizzed past on the train or it was too dark and I was too far away to capture them. I did manage to get this fantastic Coca Cola / Senart's ad since it was street level and very easily accessible. This is my second Coca Cola sign, neither of which are in Seattle. I believe that's "2 and 0" in baseball speak.

Kelly Goodwin Hardwood

Harrison and Terry, South Lake Union




Looks like my favorite sketch artist, The Seattle Sketcher got to this before I did and caught "Oak and Maple" just below. Also, on the back side is "Butcher's Block Warehouse". This is the Terry Ave. Building (1915) which is being restored in LEED fashion.

Mohawk Apts.

12th and Jefferson, Capitol Hill



There's a lot going on here: "Mohawk Apts." is clear, then under that "For Vacant Lots in this Vicinity" and "Union Trust Co." Over the top of it all appears to once have been "KING SIZE COKE" though it is not clear whether this was Coke as in Coca-Cola, or Coke as in fuel or something else entirely. It seems to imply the cola, but I've never seen a Coke ad that wasn't in the stylized script. This is definitely a head scratcher. Also, apologies for the shadows but there isn't a better time of day to see the lettering this clearly. If you see more going on here, please comment!

The McKay block- Ad unknown

Mercer and Westlake, South Lake Union


I have absolutely no idea what this was an advertisement for, but I am very excited to have seen it and get the photo. The building that was torn down (foreground rubble) was the Pacific McKay building which is rumored to be being moved North a bit and fully rebuilt as it was on this corner. Some City of Seattle online documents indicate the remaining building, Ford McKay, will stay put and that the connecting hallways will be sealed. I'm very curious to see what becomes of this ghostie.

Historylink.org provides an some interesting background on these buildings. What I find fascinating is that the Ford McKay building (which hosts the ghost sign) is a mere three years older than the Pacific building. The paint on the ad must have still been wet when the new building went up!

Beebe and Runyon

9th and Lenora, Downtown (Denny Triangle)


Omaha, Kansas City, Denver, Seattle

According to the Department of Neighborhoods, this warehouse was occupied by Beebe and Runyon from around 1936 to 1955.

2nd and Battery, Belltown




I believe this is now a nightclub which still uses the name Rendezvous.

J.T. Hardeman Hat Co.

Dexter and Republican, South Lake Union


Fun stuff!:
J.T. Hardeman Hat Co. was a uniform vendor for the National Park Service in the 1930's.

A cool Seattle P.I./Mohai photo

...and another

No. 108 1/2

1st Ave S. and Yesler, Pioneer Square


There are a whole lot of these tile signs in Pioneer Square, and I love them! For more information on the Lippy Building, please visit the Department of Neighborhoods website.

Charlesgate Apartments

4th between Blanchard and Bell, Belltown

More interesting photos and information on the Charlesgate Apartments can be found on the Department of Neighborhoods website.

Franklin Apts.

4th and Bell, Belltown

More interesting photos and information can be found at the Department of Neighborhoods website.

Fleming Apartments

4th and Bell, Belltown




more interesting photos and information on the Fleming Apartments available from the Department of Neighborhoods website.

J&M Cafe and Cardroom

1st and Washington, Pioneer Square

I almost missed this entirely. This sign is painted at the J&M Cafe and Cardroom, and the only legible word is "HOTEL" which it was during the gold rush days. Some depressing news about the J&M can be read about here: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009249738_auction22m.html

Boss of the Road

Old Sacramento, CA

Visited my hometown last week and came across this lovely specimen. Surprisingly, not much else in the way of ghosties in Old Sacramento- this was the only one I could find.

Boss of the Road
Union Made Overalls
The Watchdog of Quality

and above that:
Morelos Hotel
....week and up


and under all of it, another illegible sign

Driftwood

1st and Washington, Pioneer Square


This building has a long and varied history which can be read about here: http://web1.seattle.gov/dpd/historicalsite/QueryResult.aspx?ID=1108593418

The "Paul Bunyon Outerwear" and "Driftwood Sportswear" signs are circa 1950.

Sportcaster

3rd between Blanchard and Bell, Belltown/Downtown




Sportcaster
The Best in Rainwear

Martin Furniture

8th and Stewart, Downtown

I love the juxtaposition of old and new here. These were taken from under the awning at the Greyhound bus station.

Auto Service Repair and Supply

12th and Madison, Capitol Hill


"...C.W JOE... Auto Service Repair and Supplies phone ast 36"

I've done a cursory look for telephone exchanges in Seattle and have found no records so I'm not yet sure if "ast" was in fact the exchange, or if this meant something altogether different. Let me know what you think!


This building is currently home to Stumptown Coffee and Cafe Presse.

Sicks' Brewing- Bay View Brewery

Airport Way


I've driven past this building hundreds of times and just last week spotted for the first time, the Sicks' painted sign. I went back to capture the sign and then since it was such a nice day, I followed Airport Way down to Georgetown. I'd only been to Georgetown a few times and didn't realize that the large brick compound used to be the Rainier brewery. I was simply stunned. Not only by the coincidence of discovering it on the same day I was out taking pictures of the Sicks sign, but that it was still in such great shape with much of the buildings' relief in tact.

The Sicks brewery is now being leased to Tully's and some small businesses. The old Georgetown brewery is currently housing some small artsy businesses and from what I can tell, some beer distributors. I'm absolutely fascinated with it, and will likely spend a lot of time polishing and updating this post to include additional information as I learn more. In the meantime, the Rainier Brewing Company wiki page has a decent history for those of you who are interested in learning more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainier_Brewing_Company

Hartford Glass

Pike and Broadway, Capitol Hill

This specimen is in excellent shape with lots of color remaining.

"Hartford Glass Co.
Automobile Glass and Mirrors"

Standard Warehouse

First St. near Railroad Way, SODO



I can't quite make this out, but looks like it may have once said "Standard Warehouse Co. Inc."? Tell me what you think.

Coca-Cola: Vancouver

This isn't technically a ghost sign of the last outpost, but rather a cool find while on a quick weekender in Vancouver. Vancouver seems to have retained very little in the way of ghostie remnants of the late 19th-early 20th centuries, but it did provide my very first Coca-Cola ghost sign!

Holsum

Broadway and Jefferson, First Hill




This ad is painted on the North side of the Fenimore Hotel building, opposite the Keene Cigar ad. This is a double ad, however, the dominant is for Holsum.

"Ask your grocer for Holsum. The Bread of Quality." then at the bottom: "...clean, sold clean."

Of course, the best part of this ad are the silhoutettes of the children eating the bread.

Tom Keene Cigar

Broadway and Jefferson, First Hill



This ad shares space with the still existing Hotel Fenimore, which offers "Permanent and Transient Rooms"

Hemenway & Moser Co.

4th and Terrace, Downtown

A little digging revealed that this cigar wholesaler "...ay & Moser Co." was Hemenway & Moser Company, based out of Salt Lake City, Utah. I'm surmising the storefront level of the Crouley Building / Reynold's Hotel was their Northwest location. For those of you interested in the building itself, please visit the Crouley Building's Historical Site page, here.

Click on the photo for higher resolution and to see other mysterious ghosties that share this brick wall.

















I do miss the Abercrombie ads. They were much better eye candy than this Obama logo ripoff that Pepsi has adopted.


















For an idea of what the Seattle store may have looked like in it's heyday, you can check out photos the Salt Lake Hemenway & Moser stores here.

Smith Tower Annex

2nd and Yesler, Pioneer Square


















Fun Fact! The stone building in the forefront was once G.O. Guys drugstore, and is where former Seattle Police Chief William Meredith was shot and killed by John Considine while defending himself against Meredith.

Mutual Life Insurance

605 First Avenue South
1st and Yesler (seen from Post Ave.)


















Fun Facts:
-This building is on the original site of Yesler's Cookhouse.
-When built, it was called The Yesler Building.
-Mutual Life bought the building in 1897
-The building was restored in the 1980's
-Prior to it's restoration and current owner Historic Seattle, the building had four owners: Henry Yesler, the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York, Shafer Brothers Land Company, and Dr. S. T. Magnuson.

Click on the bottom photo to enlarge. There are three additional ghost signs visible in this photo: the Black Bear Beans sign, the Lovera Cigars sign and a third "..ale.." which I can't quite figure out.







For more interesting information on this historic Pioneer Square building, please visit Historylink.org.

Gim Ling

Seventh and Lane, Chinatown

Sam Sloan Cigar

Sixth and Weller, Chinatown


















Sam Sloan was a railroad tycoon as well as president of several large corporations including Western Union. For more details, follow this link- http://www.anusha.com/samsloan.htm



















Not sure where the cigars come into his story- I assume this store sold these cigars, but am unclear about whether it had something to do with our railroad or something else entirely. Curious!

Shanghai Hotel

King and Seventh, Chinatown


















I have no idea what this "Queen" sign is, but it appears in two separate locations within just a few blocks in Chinatown... I just can't get what that last word is!

Michigan House... 15c

Seventh and Weller, Chinatown

















Though they share a wall, the lettering below is different than Michigan House lettering above which was likely a hotel. This lettering is advertising *something* for 15 cents... the cheapest rooms seem to have run around 25 cents, though I suppose this ad could be much older. More research required here.

Bush Garden

Maynard and Lane, Chinatown

OK Hotel

Alaskan Way and Main, Pioneer Square


















My photo was taken from the right side of the building. If you look closely, you can see the address:

"212 RR Ave."

Now, that's excitin'!































Railroad Ave became Alaskan Way I believe around 1936 or so. Follow this Wikipedia entry to learn more. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaskan_Way

The Hotel has been an important aspect of the Seattle music scene, and now operates as an art gallery. Follow this link for more history and current information about the O.K.: http://www.galleryok.com/hist.html

Black Bear Brand

1st and Main, Pioneer Square



I originally titled this post as Black Bear Beans, but recently found this photograph in a book about Pioneer Square which nails it down:



Black Bear Manufacturing made overalls and even had a line catering to the ladies!

Frye Hotel Garage

Washington and Occidental, Pioneer Square

















What's somewhat interesting is that the Frye Hotel is 2 blocks east of here, which doesn't seem very convenient unless the hotel had valet service.

Hotel U.S.

Jackson and Maynard, Chinatown

Du Pont

Mercer and Fairview, South Lake Union



















E. I. DU PONT DE NEMOURS & Co. Paints Varnishes- I suspect this was a wholesaler outlet at some point- incidentally, the du Pont history in Washington is fascinating- http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=5633

Roycroft Theater

19th and Aloha, Capitol Hill


















I had just finished the book "The Hill with a Future: Seattle's Capitol Hill" by Jacqueline B. Williams when I just happened to ride down 19th and saw this. In the book, she talks specifically about the Roycroft's history for several dedicated paragraphs. I almost lost my passenger when I stopped to snap this pic, I was so excited.

The building now houses the Russian Community Center. Lucky Russians!

Oldsmobile?

12th and Madison, Capitol Hill


















I believe this advertisement is for Oldsmobile, though the "l" and the "e" of the word don't look right to me. Fascinating that it was painted in reverse, to look correct to drivers in their rear-view mirrors! Great find!

Bell

Third and University, Downtown























I was admiring the awesome Seattle Tower when I noticed this on the building adjacent. This was the local Ma Bell building, natch. I wish we could see the wording.

Motor Co.

Broadway and Union, Capitol Hill


















I'll try not to get too depressed about this and instead focus on the fact that we can actually still see the color and artistry of the sign that once was.

H.W. Baker Linen Co.

10th and Union, Capitol Hill


















I can't get over how perfect this sign still is, it must be fairly new in terms of ghost signs. In fact, google tells me that this company still exists, though certainly not in this building any longer.

Service Station

11th between Pine and Pike, Capitol Hill


















Looks like I captured this on just the right day. Though its hard to tell, the lettering probably says "Overland" which reader MrCachet points out in the comment section here was a popular car in the early 1900's. The only legible wording left is:

"Service Station"

Physican [sic]

10th and Pine, Capitol Hill


















A total guess, but my instinct tells me that this was an advertisement for some kind of physician preparation school. I believe the ad *probably* once said:

"LEP_R'S SCHOOL OF PHYSICAN PREPARATION".,

Yeah. They misspelled "Physician". This sign has since been covered by a modern advertisement.

7/22/09- UPDATE: the modern (vinyl?) sign has been removed and the original ghostie is in tact!

Optimus

419 Occidental Avenue South, Pioneer Square
Seen from 2nd and Jackson
Currently Houses FX McRory's Steak, Chop and Oyster House

"Optimus Soda Fountains and Store Fixtures. 'Purity' Brand Crushed Fruits & Fountain Syrups", Estab. 1882 Stewar[t] .... Drug Co. [Wholes]ale Drugs . Importers & Manufacturers".

This is an amazing sign, and runs a close second to the Chop Suey Chow Mein sign in Chinatown as my favorite in Seattle.

Particularly interesting to me about this sign is the name "Chris" in very small letters between the windows and just under and between the words "Wholesale" and "Drugs". Could be the artist's name, but of course I don't really know.

Washington Shoe

Jackson and Occidental, Pioneer Square
Currently occupied by Washington Shoe Company

"DAGG DERNEDEN CO. MFGRS. GREENHOOD SHIRTS"
"THE WASHINGTON SHOE MFG. CO."

from washingtonshoe.com:

"Originating in 1891,Washington Shoe Company is one of the Seattle area's oldest companies. They began their business by selling rugged work boots to the thousands of men trying to make their fortunes in the harsh conditions of the Alaska Gold Rush.

The Company now designs and manufactures a variety of boots and shoes for adult female and male audiences and also sells a line of children's shoes, boots and accessories."

We Paint Signs

Westlake Avenue N., South Lake Union

This building appears to date back to the industrial days of Lake Union, and was clearly a sign shop at some point. "We Paint SIGNS" is repeated several times on the east face of the building. This sign business could very possibly be responsible for many of the ghost signs represented on this blog.

Unknown 4

First Street, SODO

Adjacent to the "STS Tools" Sign. I can't make this out at all, but it looks like at least two ads here, and some earthquake repair.

Tools

First Street, SODO

Looks like "STS Tools".

Shop-Supplies-Machinery

First Street, SODO

Can't make much out here- just the words "Shop and Foundery Supplies" and "Machinery". This ad is adjacent to the Owl Cigar ad.