San Francisco Neon designs new neon signs in a vintage style and consults on neon restoration projects. Contact us at sfneonbook@gmail.com for a new neon sign design or a restoration consultation. We are proud to be associated with the neon projects below.

LIKE NIGHT AND DAY… THE ELM HOTEL

The restoration of the neon sign at the historic Elm Hotel was completed in June 2022! Thanks to local neon expert Jim Rizzo, the Elm’s sign has reclaimed its former glow. The freshly painted forest green background and white lettering frame the luminous tubes and amplify their brilliance. The unusual border effect is made with an outline of decorative metal “buttons” that reflect the neon glow at night. The Elm Hotel is next door to the Tenderloin Museum on Eddy and Leavenworth Streets.

This restoration is part of “Tenderloin Neon A-Z,” an initiative to restore the neighborhood’s neon signs by SF Neon and the Tenderloin Museum with support from the SF Shines grants program of the SF Office of Economic and Workforce Development.

HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT… THE ASTOR HOTEL SIGN

Here are the shining results of the most recent restoration of the Abigail Hotel, 246 McAllister St. near Hyde St. The SF Shines program awarded a matching grant to restore the sign to the original porcelain under multiple coats of paint. Jim Rizzo and Al Barna climbed the scaffold to remove the paint and found the original name on the sign was the Astor Hotel, not the Abigail Hotel! The owner, Dipak Patel, and Randy Shaw of the Tenderloin Housing Clinic agreed right away to retain the Astor porcelain sign and restore the neon tubes as an historic icon for the neighborhood.

Another interesting aspect to the porcelain sign was the room price “$1.00 UP”. The original location of the sign was several doors down near the corner of Larkin Street as shown in this historic photo from the SFPL History Center.

This restoration is part of “Tenderloin Neon A-Z,” an initiative to restore the neighborhood’s neon signs by SF Neon and the Tenderloin Museum with support from the SF Shines grants program of the SF Office of Economic and Workforce Development.