{"nrhp_refnum":"97001212","name":"Bekins Storage Co. Roof Sign","other_names":["Standard Fireproof Storage Co. Roof Sign"],"category":"object","location":{"address":"511 S. Fair Oaks Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Pasadena","county":"Los Angeles County","state":"CA","lat":34.13710949100005,"lon":-118.15085965899999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1997-10-15","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A large two-sided neon roof sign atop the four-story Bekins Storage Co. Building at 511 S. Fair Oaks Avenue, Pasadena, California. It was installed in 1926 as a bulb-lit sign and converted to neon in 1929.","why_significant":"The sign is argued to be locally significant under Criterion A (commercial advertising) and Criterion C (commercial signage). It is the best-remaining and only surviving large pre-war roof sign in Pasadena, and one of the oldest remaining large-scale uses of neon. It was designed to be read from passing automobiles along South Fair Oaks Avenue, once part of Route 66.","narrative":"Perched about 60 feet above South Fair Oaks Avenue in Pasadena, this two-sided neon roof sign sits on a steel frame atop the four-story Bekins Storage Co. Building. Each metal face measures roughly 32 by 12 feet and carries the words \"BEKINS STORAGE CO.\" in green, red and light blue neon, with a flashing blue \"MOVING\" overlay. Installed in 1926 with bulb lighting and the name Standard Fireproof Storage Co., it was converted to neon in 1929 and has kept that appearance since. The sign was placed to be seen for several blocks in both directions along a road that was part of Route 66, so drivers could read it. Pasadena once had many large roof and projecting signs, but this is the only large pre-war example that survives. It is also among the oldest remaining large-scale uses of neon, which is the basis for its recognition for commercial advertising and signage. The building beneath it is not counted as a contributing resource.","period_of_significance":"1926-1944","architect_builder":"Noice and Merrill Engineers and the Greenwood Advertising Company (1926 design and installation); electricians J.E. Davies and J.F. Winn (1929 neon conversion)","architectural_style":"Roof Sign","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"The sign remains unaltered from its 1929 appearance and is included in the City of Pasadena's Historic Sign Inventory.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:27.586183-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/97001212.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97001212/d8e2a29e50-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97001212/d8e2a29e50-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"TheCatalyst31","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bekins_Storage_Co._Roof_Sign_2013_02.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">TheCatalyst31</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bekins_Storage_Co._Roof_Sign_2013_02.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123857402","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bekins_Storage_Co._roof_sign","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15198183"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/los-angeles-county/bekins-storage-co-roof-sign-97001212/"}