Rolando's Roadside Roundup: Vintage Taco Bell Edition
Plus, how Hurricane Ian walloped old Florida; another storm-damaged sign's triumphant return; a gem of a man honors lost egg-cream shop Gem Spa
Happy National Taco Day, fellow Retrologists! I’m marking the occasion by sharing photos of some Taco Bells I’ve visited over the years, each shedding light on a particular moment in the chain’s history.
1.) The very first Taco Bell
By the time I visited the first location of Taco Bell, in Downey, California, the chain had long ago left the building at 7112 Firestone Blvd., and Tacos Raul had stepped in. But the Bell bones were still evident in this photo from 2012. This building, which Glen Bell himself opened in 1962, was rescued from oblivion by Taco Bell itself and now sits on the corporate campus in Irvine.
They call it, of course, Numero Uno.
2.) The last ‘Sleeping Sombrero’ sign
There are so many reasons to visit Savannah, Georgia. But no visit for me is complete without stopping at this Taco Bell, which is the last standing example of this sign of 1970s vintage.
It survives in the back of the building, almost forgotten, in what is an otherwise modern location.
This sign would have fit with Taco Bells of the vintage show below. This one, updated to the chain’s purple color scheme, survives in Santa Barbara, California.
3.) Taco Bell begins to modernize
As Philip Langdon details in “Orange Roofs, Golden Arches,” Taco Bell learned from a consumer study in the mid 1980s that the “sleeping sombrero” sign I just shared with you was not very popular. But the arched windows and tile roofs of the Mission-style buildings were seen favorably.
Taco Bell toned down its signage, featuring a colorful, simple bell. Stores would still get mission-style buildings, but they were more subdued, softened by a “Mainstream Mansard” roof and a plastic sign along the facade in place of the actual bell that was notched into earlier stores.
These examples were in Yucca Valley, California, above, and Berwyn, Illinois, below.
3.) The 1990s: Saved by the Taco Bell!
This Taco Bell in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, was a work of postmodern interior design, the Memphis movement for everyone. This is the opposite of the boring, safe retail architecture of today. I’ve seen a similar store (now demolished) described as a “Saved by the Taco Bell,” in the spirit of its decade of origin. Internally called Miami Vice, for the 1980s color scheme, this location, which I shot a year ago this month, is sadly no more.
Let me know of any vintage Taco Bell locations I should visit!
Hurricane Ian: Surveying the impact on Florida’s roadside Americana
As Florida recovers from the devastating impact of Hurricane Ian, the Tampa Bay Times surveyed some of the damage the storm wrought upon old Florida. The paper explored portions of the Tamiami Trail, the evocatively named highway that connected Tampa with Miami back in 1928, and along which blossomed wonderful roadside attractions from the heyday of the road trip, some of which are still with us.
There was dramatic damage, alas, to the iconic sign for the Shell Factory in North Fort Myers, Florida. This is one of my bucket listers for sure. See it in happier times on Debra Jane Seltzer’s indispensable website, roadarch.com.
Even the Santa Claus statue that greets you at the factory’s Christmas store got knocked flat on his face.
The Times offers some history:
The Shell Factory opened in 1938 in nearby Bonita Springs and touted itself as “the largest retail shell store in the world.” It sold shell necklaces, nightlights, mirrors and dolls with cockle shell skirts. Tourists followed billboards like Burma-Shave signs south from Valdosta, Georgia: “Only 348 miles to the Shell Factory… "
In 1952, the attraction moved to U.S. 41 and erected its iconic arched sign. Visitors streamed to see sharks’ teeth, buy shells and bring back beach souvenirs.
The owner, Pam Cronin, told the Times she is devastated by what happened to the region — some of her own employees lost their homes. And while the Shell Factory was damaged by Ian, it’s still standing.
She said she can’t wait to reopen the shop.
It’s deeply personal for Cronin, who said Hurricane Irma in 2017 turned her off to life in Florida, but when her husband and business partner died six months later, she resolved to devote herself to the Shell Factory.
Ian is not changing that.
A year after Hurricane Ida, the LaPlace Frostop in NOLA gets back its frosty mug!
Less than two weeks before the LaPlace Frostop in Louisiana celebrates its 64th birthday, the beloved family-run drive-in finally has its iconic neon-clad frosty mug back, NOLA.com reports.
The restaurant, the longest in continuous operation in LaPlace, was able to reopen shortly after Ida tore through the region late last summer, but the mug was flung to the ground and seriously damaged. The owner, Terry Toler, whose grandfather opened the business, couldn’t tolerate the idea of not restoring the icon to its place of pride above the store.
And so she paid A-1 Signs $68,000 to restore the big mug. It was reinstalled on Monday.
Why did she rebuild the sign? It’s simple. She told NOLA.com:
"I can't think of a better way to thank our community for 64 years of support than to rebuild this landmark," she said.
I’ve never been to this Frostop, and it just moved dozens of notches up toward the top of my bucket list! That’s my kind of owner, my kind of business, and a reminder of why we love these places so much.
I’ve only had the good fortune of photographing one of the dozen or so Frostops that survive, from a chain that once numbered in the hundreds. With the parent company long dead, they each operate independently.
Below is another mug, still standing but shorn of neon, at The Drive In Restaurant in Taylor Falls, Minnesota. I stopped by back in July.
Report: Outlet of Brooklyn coffee shop chain will replace iconic Gem Spa in East Village, plans to honor egg cream shop’s heritage
EV Grieve has a big scoop: An outlet of Poetica Cafe, a Brooklyn-based coffee-shop chain, will be opening in the hallowed ground once occupied by Gem Spa, the iconic purveyor of eggs creams.
The owner of the location, Parviz Mukhamadkulov, didn’t realize when he signed the lease that the East Village space once belonged to the much-missed Gem Spa, EV Grieve reports, but said he plans to honor its legacy.
He told EV Grieve he’s reached out to the Patels, the former operators of Gem Spa, and offered to sell their merchandise in the shop’s ancestral home at no cost to them.
That’s a wonderful thing to do, and I wish Mr. Mukhamadkulov the best in his endeavor. I’ll stop by for coffee, and maybe a Gem Spa T-shirt.
Gem Spa closed in May 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 lockdowns. To help you appreciate what this store meant, I’ve included the essay I wrote at the time it closed.
This is a day many of us feared. The fabled Gem Spa, iconic purveyor of the egg cream and part of the East Village for almost 100 years, has closed.
The world had changed around it — corner candy stores aren’t the going concern they used to be, but this place was no common candy store. There were other problems, including the loss of licenses to sell tobacco products and lottery tickets.
The owner fought hard to survive, and the community came to Gem Spa’s side with events like a cash mob. I bought those fabled egg creams here over the years — great place to impress a first date, and explain egg creams don’t have eggs or cream! But in the end, the owners said, they were undone by the COVID-19 shutdown.
From the news release: “This has been an extremely difficult decision, and one we are heartbroken to make. Forced to close the store due to New York City & State Covid restrictions implemented six weeks ago in the interest of safety to our customers and staff, we had hoped to reopen once things stabilized. Prior to the crisis, it had become increasingly apparent that the evolving character of the area was no longer able to sustain a corner creation like ours. Coronavirus concerns closed our city, cratered businesses, and ultimately sealed the fate of our (close to) 100-year-old shop. After careful review and assessment of our options, we have made the heartbreaking but necessary decision to close permanently."
The website, gemspanyc.com, will carry on, a paean to its history and those epic egg creams, made with semi-frozen milk, seltzer and Fox’s U-bet syrup. Sounds easy, but it’s a work of art they perfected here. We’ve lost another part of New York’s soul
Notes From the Road
Alcala’s Western Wear, a cowboy retail haven that lassos customers from all around the country, is celebrating its 50th anniversary. [Block Club Chicago]
“The House of Tomorrow,” the Palm Springs midcentury stunner where Elvis and Priscilla Presley honeymooned, has hit the market for $5.6 million. [Robb Report]
The faithful gather to grieve demise of Oklahoma City’s “egg church.” [The Oklahoman]
Turning 50, the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, unveils drawings by noted architect Louis Kahn. [Dallas News]
Cherokee Welcome Center is a new Route 66 landmark. [Tulsa World]
After an extensive and expensive renovation, the Hotel Chelsea readies for its closeup. [Michelin Guide]
Denver’s flashy new Tom’s Starlight sparks debate. [Westword]
Retrologist’s Guide to Pizza Hut Classics debuts Wednesday!
My posts about Pizza Hut Classics are among my most popular on Instagram. The throwback restaurants are such fun to visit, a fully immersive dining experience that takes you back to Friday nights in the 1970s through 1990s.
But where are they located? That’s always been the big question. Pizza Hut won’t say. I’ve put in many miles on the road and many hours at my computer to come up with a list of Pizza Hut Classic locations, and it debuts Wednesday night here on The Retrologist.
The specialized retro travel guides I am creating for this newsletter will largely live behind a paywall. A great way to support my nostalgia journalism and travel is to support The Retrologist newsletter!
Details on my subscription plans and what they entail are below. Your support is so very much appreciated!
Awww I love the shell factory. It was a staple of early childhood visits to my grandparents in North Fort Myers.