Remnants of salvaged neon from the Campus Drive-In, the Plaza and Cabrillo theaters from Horton Plaza and many downtown San Diego signs remain in the collections of Gloria Poore and Juliette Mondot.
In the 1980’s, after watching old neon signs dropped on sidewalks from buildings being demolished, Gloria and I approached CCDC requesting salvage rights on hastily designed letterhead for SONO (Save Our Neon Organization). CCDC tried to sell salvage rights. No one bought. Finally we were allowed to salvage for free. Along with our husbands, Ben Harroll and Greg Calvert and several volunteers, we spent many weekends on ladders dismantling brittle, old neon, often caked with pigeon poop. We used it in light sculptures, performance pieces and photographs. We were shocked when we were asked to salvage the Campus Drive-In. We are glad the majorette twirls again. It is a nice twist of fate that SOHO is now the steward.
Remnants of salvaged neon from the Campus Drive-In, the Plaza and Cabrillo theaters from Horton Plaza and many downtown San Diego signs remain in the collections of Gloria Poore and Juliette Mondot.
In the 1980’s, after watching old neon signs dropped on sidewalks from buildings being demolished, Gloria and I approached CCDC requesting salvage rights on hastily designed letterhead for SONO (Save Our Neon Organization). CCDC tried to sell salvage rights. No one bought. Finally we were allowed to salvage for free. Along with our husbands, Ben Harroll and Greg Calvert and several volunteers, we spent many weekends on ladders dismantling brittle, old neon, often caked with pigeon poop. We used it in light sculptures, performance pieces and photographs. We were shocked when we were asked to salvage the Campus Drive-In. We are glad the majorette twirls again. It is a nice twist of fate that SOHO is now the steward.