Label
LINCOLN MARKET
1920s
Donated by William Washington Ellinger III
Restoration by David Svenson and Lyle George
Lincoln Market was a small Japanese-American owned mom-and-pop grocery store established in the 1920s at 279 North Fair Oaks Avenue in Pasadena, CA. The market was designed in a “U”-shape and arranged around a central court with parking spaces available for automobiles. The ornate double sided neon sign sat atop a freestanding pole in the center of the court. Exterior signs for “meats,” “vegetables,” and “bakery” marked the different sections for efficient shopping. The car-centric architecture favored the early rise of the automobile and showed that the customer’s needs were the priority for small business owners.
The sign was eventually moved from the center court and mounted on the parapet at the north side of the building. Since only one side was visible to the public, the neon tubing and glass standoffs were stripped off the second side of the sign. Shortly after salvaging the sign in 1975, the building was demolished for the construction of the 210 freeway.
The visual beauty speaks for itself, but the sign is a
living artifact that carries with it the rich, ever-evolving history of Southern California’s automobile culture.