Gemini Giant, astronaut icon of Route 66, is up for auction, likely to leave his longtime orbit
Plus, vintage DQ's new name (and similar sign); a Snowman's return; and over a dozen more roadside Americana headlines
The Gemini Giant is one of Route 66's great attractions. I was not a little starstruck when I visited Wilmington, Illinois, to photograph him in 2013 and the restaurant he’s been promoting since the 1960s, The Launching Pad. According to American Giants, he is “the most famous and popular Muffler Man in existence and the only surviving space man version made by International Fiberglass with his unique space helmet.”
2024 began on a happy note for the Giant when he was featured on an Illinois-themed float at the Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena, California. But just a few days later, things took a troubling turn, with the restaurant's owner cited by authorities for tossing trash, including Route 66 memorabilia, in the parking lot just feet from the Gemini Giant. The owner had placed the restaurant on the market back in November for $1.4 million.
I learned from American Giants’ Facebook page that the Gemini Giant is now up for auction, along with the Launching Pad’s signage and other artifacts from the famed Route 66 stop.
“It’s an extremely unique situation that is unfolding at the Launching Pad, and normally a sale would include everything on site and be sold as a package and be expected to stay on location, but in this case everything is being parted out leaving essentially an empty building,” according to American Giants.
The deadline is March 20, and if the bid is approved, the Giant reportedly must be removed from the property posthaste.
It’s hard to believe such an intrinsic part of the Mother Road could soon be dislodged from its home of more than half a century, and under such grim circumstances. Rest assured, there are people in Wilmington, in the wider Route 66 community, and, of course, American Giants, who are trying to keep the Gemini Giant safe, and hopefully still in Wilmington, or at least in the orbit of Route 66.
I’ll always treasure my visit 11 years ago this June. The Launching Pad was closed and on the market at the time, but I was able to snag a few photos.
Debra Jane Seltzer reports only two other astronaut-style Giant Men are known to have been made — one was at Coney Island, appropriately enough, at the defunct Astroland Park.
Route 66 Sign Highlight: Lombardi Buick and Chevy
We had just started our Route 66 journey with a fortifying breakfast at Lou Mitchell’s in Chicago, and Lombardi Chevy Buick, just down the road from the Gemini Giant, was one of the first grand signs we saw on our way west along the Mother Road.
Much like the Gemini Giant is a product of America’s fascination with the space race, this sign embodies the era’s similar high-flying spirit and optimism.
Eleven years after I shot it, the sign is still there, but the Lombardi part is now covered with a tarp promoting the new owner, Arnie Bauer Chevrolet | GMC.
What else is there to see in Illinois? Or Route 66? I share tips and maps with patrons of my roadside travels — just ask! Upgrade your account below.
Notes From the Road
In Tarrytown, New York, Raymond DeFiore found a long-vanished historical marker for the historic Florence Inn (itself long vanished), hidden in a storage area near the Metro-North Railroad tracks.
The Dairy Queen before it lost its affiliation. Photo courtesy of John Boggess, who has kept me informed of developments here. Thank you! The Bedford, Virginia, Dairy Queen closed last year, and is about to reopen under a new name — Liberty Creamery — and a similar sign. It’s a similar and sad song — a legacy DQ and corporate no longer seeing eye to eye. Every vintage DQ is a treasure worth preserving; a little bit of our collective roadside DNA is lost with each senseless closure. Yes, they should not only get a pass, they should get support to keep them just as they are, or even better.
A Buc-ee’s billboard has been spotted on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Could everyone’s favorite beaver be coming to the Keystone State? Or just playing the “South of the Border” game, erecting billboards hundreds of miles away?
One of the highlights of watching the Oscars Sunday night was catching this awesome Dunkin’ commercial, featuring the store in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, that was opened in 1979 (as a Mister Donut) and has been run by three generations of women from the same family.
Veteran music store Sam Ash is shutting down 18 stores around the country in a big brick-and-mortar retreat, but the business is retooling for our new retail reality.
Paterson, New Jersey, celebrated the 118th heavenly birthday of beloved native son Lou Costello by unveiling a street sign in his honor.
Vroman’s and Book Soup bookstores in the Los Angeles area are on the market as the majority owner, nearing 80, plans to retire. The owner, Joel Sheldon, appeared on AirTalk to discuss his plans.
Do you have fond (or scary) memories of Castle Dracula in Wildwood, New Jersey? I never went, but I’m intrigued enough to attend the first annual Castle Dracula Weekend this August. Details are here.
Congrats to St. Francis Fountain, placed on the San Francisco Chronicle’s “Best Diners in the Bay” list.
A Brutalist office tower in Boston designed by the architect Paul Rudolph has been declared a local landmark.
I, for one, want my own Alamo-shaped total-solar-eclipse viewing glasses. I must say, I’m getting excited about the April 8 celestial spectacle!
Ernie’s Texas Lunch in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, has a new owner. The hot-dog spot is 103 years old!
Ta-boo, a classic Palm Beach hotspot that closed last year, is being revived by celebrity chef Thomas Keller.
The Pink Elephant at the Diamond Inn Motel in Las Vegas, one of the last surviving artifacts of the old Strip, will soon be auctioned off and the building demolished. Dating to 1940, it is one of the oldest surviving buildings on The Strip.
The Imperial in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has reopened, its classic sign restored, as it reemerges as a boutique retro motel.
Last, but certainly not least, Chick-fil-A has adaptively reused the classic arrow sign that once stood outside Jerry’s Drive-in in Clintonville, Ohio. The last business to be there, Tee Jaye’s, closed in 2021, sparking concern for a time the sign would be lost.