The oldest neon sign on South Congress

The Austin Motel opened in 1938 and has never closed. It is in the “tourist court” style, long, low buildings with a parking space in front of each room. The iconic sign is held aloft by a ship’s mast and was re-worked during the motel’s renovation two years ago by none other than The Neon Cowboy, Evan Voyles. It’s shape has caused the sign to be a must for Instagram selfies on South Congress, laugh out loud! This for my red rainbow photo today.

[Joan Robillard]

Neat

[Bep]

Nice shot for your rainbow.

[Jacqueline]

Fun shot Lou Ann, you could have made a selfie too 😉

[mittens (Marilyn)]

How cool is that. Terrific shot.

[Beryl Lloyd]

Great one for the rainbow !

[Islandgirl]

Neat sign!

[Diana]

Lovely sign and shot.

[katy]

Oh my goodness! The sign is fabulous but it could be taken in several different ways!

[carol white]

Great rainbow shot

[Sharon Lee]

It’s very phalic looking. Nice shot

[Peter]

Interesting capture shape and colour Lou Ann:)

[KWind]

Nice sign! You'd like the neon Boneyard in Vegas... it's full of old class neon signs!

[Lou Ann]

@joansmor @gijsje @jacqbb @mittens @beryl @radiogirl @ludwigsdiana @grammyn @carolmw @sugarmuser @pcoulson @kwind Thank you for your wonderful comments, this was a fun sign. I Googled it to see how old it was and that’s when I learned all about it’s history and unique “status” 😊 @kwind I’ve always wanted to see the neon graveyard in Vegas! Maybe next year!

[Ann H. LeFevre]

Great sign and a perfect one for red!

[Karly]

A fun shot, Lou Ann. Interesting to read about the history of this neon sign.

[Taffy]

It has such a vintage look. Love the reds.

[Denise Wood]

Great find :)

[4rky]

;)

[CC Folk]

Fun history, LouAnn...perfect for your red day. I took one look at the shape and immediately thought of only one thing. It must have been designed by a man with a big imagination. Haha!

[Lou Ann]

@gardenfolk Ha Ha! There are many articles on Google about this sign, it’s quite a symbol of Austin’s carefree attitude as a city. 😊

[CC Folk]

@louannwarren My older brother lives in Austin. He has been there for 20 years. :)
PS...You get up early! I have not gone to bed yet. :)

[Lou Ann]

@gardenfolk My early rising is a throwback to my days of having to get up early to drive to work in the Dallas traffic. I just can't seem to stay in bed past 5:00 AM! You on the other hand are a night owl, so is my friend Jan.

[CC Folk]

@louannwarren Yes! And 3 times this week, I was up all night but will still get to bed. And the other nights, I went to bed between 12 and 1am.

[Nicole Campbell]

Certainly a very unique shape