San Jose Written by Heather David Photography by Joshua Marcotte
San Jose Signs Project Facebook sanjosesignproject Preservation Action Council of San Jose 1650 Senter Road San Jose, CA 95112 408.998.8105 preservation.org History San José historysanjose.org
SIGNS
A Partnership Between the Community, Historical Organizations, and Local Businesses Cities across the United States are saying, “Our signs matter!” From historic and cultural markers to key components in urban renewal initiatives, signs are being embraced as local art and symbols of community and a fundamental sense of place. Cities such as Glendale, Las Vegas, and Cincinnati have state-of-the-art sign museums. There are public displays of local signs in Bakersfield, Fresno, and Los Angeles. Self-guided driving tours of signs are available in Tucson, San Francisco, and San Jose. There are walking tours, guided bus tours, bike tours, and virtual tours, too. One thing is for certain: the sign is back, and it means much more to people than a form of advertising. Here are some local favorites worth celebrating.
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O.C. McDonald (opposite, top)
Winchester Shopping Center (opposite, bottom)
1150 West San Carlos Street, circa late 1940s
Stevens Creek and Winchester Blvds, circa 1952
O.C. McDonald was founded by Oren Charles McDonald in 1906. We believe that the eye-popping animated roadside sign on West San Carlos Street dates to the late 1940s. For your commercial plumbing and HVAC needs, be sure to “Oh See!” O.C. McDonald.
The Winchester Shopping Center sign, with its giant red arrow and bouncy mid-century script, dates to around 1952. The sign has been dark for many years, but when it used to light up the night sky, the interior of the arrow was outlined in red neon, and the arrow flashed.
