Diving Lady Vintage Neon Starlite Motel Sign – Mesa, Arizona
If you grew up in the 70’s and 80’s you are probably part of the last generation to remember first hand what it was like to commonly see chasing bulb signs, rotating Kentucky Fried Chicken buckets and gas station signs with any regularity.
We had a rotating chicken bucket near my town. I remember it well. That along with the glorious and unmistakable wafting scent of the Colonel’s secret recipe hanging on the air. But I digress. The reason for the missive is to say that it’s been a pretty long time since animated signage has commonly been around. But, even then ~ this diving lady neon would have been pretty exceptional.
It is surprising just how much a sign or a place of business can contribute to the fabric of a community, but they do indeed.
More About the Diving Lady Sign
In 1960, two years after opening the Starlite Motel at Main and Lindsay, brothers Bud and Dick Kaesler, Kansas transplants, wanted an iconic sign to attract travelers to their motel and its newly built swimming pool.
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Beautiful night photography. What did you take these photos with?
Thanks, Bob 🙂
These were just snapped with my iPhone 14.
An interesting and excellent post and photos Rachael. I live in Scottsdale which is very close to Mesa and I’ve never seen this sign. That motel is about 25 miles from where I live. The last time I rode a motorcycle through Mesa I stopped to see the Waylon Jennings grave site.