Ghost-Sign Busting Around Boston, Part III: Entertainment + Hospitality

From Dave Brigham:

Welcome to the third and final part of my serialized, edited, spiffed-up take on Greater Boston ghost signs, based on a three-and-a-half-year-old Zoom presentation.

As I mentioned in the first installment in this series (see December 16, 2023, "Ghost-Sign Busting Around Boston, Part I: Introduction, Inspiration and Indoctrination"), in June of 2020, I gave a Zoom presentation about Boston-area ghost signs to the Historic Resources Committee of the Boston Society of Architects. The committee's chairman, Jack Glassman, had enjoyed Nora McGreevy's article about these relics of the outdoor advertising world in the Boston Globe from October 2019, in which I was featured.

I gave a PowerPoint presentation about these signs in and around Boston, to perhaps two dozen BSA participants.

While I share ghost signs here (and on Instagram) within my write-ups about towns and cities of Eastern Massachusetts, I thought my readers might enjoy learning about the history of these outdoor advertisements, and to peruse a guide about the faded artwork on view in and around Boston.

In part two of this series, I wrote about auto-related signs, as well as ones for warehouses, laundry facilities, garment manufacturers, paper bag makers and much more (see December 23, 2023, "Ghost-Sign Busting Around Boston, Part II: Transportation, Warehouses, Miscellaneous + More"). In this post, I will share photos and information about ghost signs related to entertainment and hospitality.

ENTERTAINMENT + HOSPITALITY

How many people went to Medieval Manor in Boston's South End? I never made it there, but I heard it was a really good time, with gobs of food, buckets of booze and bawdy entertainment.

As I mentioned earlier, I have expanded my definition of ghost signs to include not just old advertisements, but faded signs from former businesses.

Located along Huntington Avenue, in Boston's Brigham Circle, the Helvetia was an apartment hotel that opened in 1885. It is in the Triangle Historic District.

In East Boston’s Orient Heights neighborhood, I found this sign advertising bowling and dancing.

This is located on the side of the former Orient Palace Theatre, the first word of which you can see at the top. There was a bowling alley in the basement. When I made this photo a few years back, there was a pool hall here and I’m not sure what else.

In Boston's Theater District, I spied this old sign on the side of the Shubert Theatre.

Opened in 1910, the Shubert is now part of what’s called the Boch Center, which includes the Wang Theatre across the street.

In Cambride's Harvard Square, I found a great sign for the former University Theatre. I had walked by this place countless times in the last 25 years before I finally looked up - way way up.

I want to wrap up with restaurants and bars, the largest category in my Greater Boston survey, other than miscellaneous and unknown.

This sign is in Waltham. I haven’t been able to figure out the restaurant this ad is for, but if you look closely, you'll see the word "fountain" and Coca-Cola logo. This is around the corner from Moody Street, which in recent years has become a food mecca.

I found two along Cambridge Street in East Cambridge. One is for a restaurant, the other is for a product that might have been used in that restaurant.

I'm not sure if Santoro Bakery offered French bread pizza, or French bread and pizza, among its treats.

Of course there are plenty of restaurant ghosts in Boston. Perhaps the most well-known is another sign that isn’t a traditional ghost sign.

This restaurant was open for about 20 years in the Haymarket/North End area. The sign has advertised a dead business for about 30. Nearby is a sign for Pete’s Pub, which closed in 2007, and was a no-frills bar for many years.

In Boston's South End, I found a very nice old restaurant sign.

I haven’t been able to find out much about this business. This sign is on the side of the Polka Dog Bakery.

In Boston's Financial District I spotted another one of those “not exactly a ghost sign” signs.

Located in the Bulfinch Building, the Littlest Bar was at this spot for around a decade before a new development forced it to shut down. Previously, it was in Downtown Crossing for decades.

Finally, in Boston's Chinatown, one of the most impressive signs in the city, and one of my favorites.

Gamsun Restaurant (translated as "Gold Mountain") operated in the 1940's and '50s from what I've found online. I love that this sign is still here and shines nearly as bright as a stack of gold bars. UPDATE TO MY PRESENTATION: THIS SIGN HAS SINCE BEEN PAINTED OR COVERED OVER.

As I mentioned in the beginning of my presentation, hand-painted signs – whether advertisements for businesses, or civic-themed murals – have experienced a resurgence in recent years.

In Boston, Josh Luke and Meredith Kasabian run Best Dressed Signs, which calls itself an all-by-hand, artistic sign painting and mural company. Kasabian runs The Pre-Vinylite Society, which is a place where sign painters and enthusiasts can connect and share work. The organization claims thousands of members, many of who regularly post their work on the group’s Facebook page.

A company called Colossal Media, which has offices across the country, specializes in large-scale, hand-painted commercial artwork. Founded in 2004, the company claims to be the largest provider of such work.

Preservation Magazine a few years ago published an article profiling Jeremy Russell and Scott Allred, who run Brushcan Custom Murals & Hand-Painted Signs in Asheville, North Carolina. They paint new signs and restore old ones, too.

In Keene, NH, a group calling itself the Keene Walldogs painted 16 murals around the small city. The artworks cover a variety of local-interest topics, ranging from the history of baseball in the city to the Ashuelot River to the Abenaki people to well-known native son, artist Barry Faulkner.

Finally, I would like to recommend the movie “Sign Painters,” which is available at http://www.signpaintersfilm.com/#watch

The movie explores the hand-painted sign industry, and features many memorable artists and works.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at the ghost signs to be found in and around Boston, and the history and future of the industry. If your interest has been sparked, get out and start hunting - before they disappear. As I learned through my searches on Flickr, there used to be a lot more ghost signs in the Boston area, but in a booming area like this, these signs are becoming increasingly hard to find.