Flashback Fridays: Jensen’s Recreation Center Sign
Photo by Echo Park Now
The Jensen’s Recreation Center building has always been a favorite Echo Park monument of mine. A historic cultural monument since 1998, the 86-year-old building has undergone quite a few changes inside.
The old bowling alley at Jensen's. Flickr photo via Mary-Austin & Scott
The building was built by German immigrant Henry Christian Jensen in 1924 and designed by architect E.E.B. Meinardus. Originally, it was a bowling alley with a pool hall at street level with 46 apartments on the other two floors. The Echo Park Historical Society website describes the space as catering to mostly males throughout the 1930s and ’40s. Even though the storefronts might not look exactly the same as the original structure, thankfully the Beaux Arts and Italianate inspired ornamentation that wraps around the outside of the building still exists.
The bowling alley is no longer there, but the sign featuring a bowling figure remains on the roof of the building. The 28 feet wide x 17 feet tall sign has 1300 red, green and white incandescent lightbulbs. An interesting fact: even though neon was a more popular application for signs in the 1920s (especially this size!), this one maintains the incandescent light bulbs.
Relighting of the sign. Photo from Paul Furlong
In 1997, after 50 years of neglect and the sign unlit, it was restored and relit through a cultural affairs grant. We’re not exactly sure how long the sign was lighting up the Rec Center roof, but we do know it was fixed and relit again in 2005. However, that lasted only one month, and the sign has been dark ever since.
Lately there’s been some great headway to relight the sign. The Echo Park Historical Society received $5,000 from an LA County Historic Preservation Society grant. Echo Park residents, fans of history, and Echo Park Improvement Association members have also privately donated to fix and maintain the sign as well. And just this week, the Greater Elysian Echo Park Neighborhood Council approved the allocation of $2,500 to the Historical Society for the restoration of the sign.
Hopefully we’ll see the sign relit (and maintained) some day soon!
If you’d like to donate to the Echo Park Historical Society for the restoration and upkeep of the sign, click here for the EPHS website.
Very nice article, totally what I wanted to find.
This is very interesting, You are a very skilled blogger. I have
joined your rss feed and look forward to seeking more of your magnificent post.
Also, I’ve shared your web site in my social networks!
This paragraph will assist the internet viewers for creating new web site or even a weblog from start to end.
It is in point of fact a great and useful piece of info. I’m glad that you
just shared this helpful information with us.
Please stay us up to date like this. Thanks for sharing.
Hey I am so glad I found your site, I really found you by mistake, while I was searching on Askjeeve for something else, Anyways I am here now and would just
like to say thanks a lot for a fantastic post and a all round interesting blog (I also love the
theme/design), I don’t have time to go through it all
at the minute but I have bookmarked it and also included your RSS feeds, so when I have time I
will be back to read a great deal more, Please do keep
up the fantastic jo.
Incredible! This blog looks just like my old one!
It’s on a totally different subject but it has pretty much the same page layout and design.
Superb choice of colors!
Fantastic goods from you, man. I’ve understand your stuff previous to and you’re just extremely great.
I really like what you have acquired here, certainly like what you’re saying and the way in which
you say it. You make it enjoyable and you still care for to keep it
smart. I cant wait to read far more from you. This is actually a tremendous website.
I constantly spent my half an hour to read this website’s articles or reviews all the time
along with a mug of coffee.
Undeniably believe that which you said. Your favorite reason seemed to
be on the web the easiest thing to be aware of. I say to you,
I certainly get annoyed while people think about worries that they just do
not know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the
top and also defined out the whole thing without having side-effects , people can take a signal.
Will probably be back to get more. Thanks
obviously like your website however you have to check the spelling on quite
a few of your posts. Several of them are rife with spelling problems and I in finding it very bothersome to inform the reality on the
other hand I will definitely come back again.
Your style is really unique in comparison to other folks I’ve
read stuff from. Many thanks for posting when you have the opportunity, Guess I’ll just
book mark this blog.
Fantastic blog you have here but I was wondering if you knew of any forums that cover the same topics talked about in this
article? I’d really love to be a part of community where I can get feedback from other knowledgeable people that share the same interest.
If you have any suggestions, please let me know.
Thank you!
Hello just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The words in your article
seem to be running off the screen in Internet explorer.
I’m not sure if this is a formatting issue or something to do with web browser compatibility but I figured I’d post to let you
know. The layout look great though! Hope you get the problem solved soon. Cheers
This excellent website really has all of the information and facts I
wanted concerning this subject and didn’t know who to ask.
Wonderful, what a website it is! This website presents valuable
information to us, keep it up.
I know this website presents quality based posts and additional
information, is there any other site which presents such things in quality?
Short haircuts for blondes, One thing for sure pixie cuts and bob hairstyles are hair trends of recent years. It’s believed that hairstyles with rounded shapes aren’t good for round faces. There are a lot of bob haircuts for short hairdos that you can choose. Short haircuts for round faces exist to help slim a feature that makes many women self conscious. Take this idea as a basic one when styling your short hair for a super flattering look.
Short haircuts for blondes, One thing for sure pixie cuts and bob hairstyles are hair trends of recent years. It’s believed that hairstyles with rounded shapes aren’t good for round faces. There are a lot of bob haircuts for short hairdos that you can choose. Short haircuts for round faces exist to help slim a feature that makes many women self conscious. Take this idea as a basic one when styling your short hair for a super flattering look.
Appreciation to my father who told me regarding this weblog, this blog is in fact awesome.
No matter if some one searches for his required thing, so he/she wants to be available that in detail, so that thing is maintained over
here.
If some one desires to be updated with most up-to-date
technologies then he must be visit this web page and be up to date everyday.
I have read so many articles or reviews about the blogger lovers but
this article is really a fastidious post, keep it up.
Hi there, its fastidious piece of writing about media print, we all understand
media is a great source of data.
I read this post completely about the resemblance of most up-to-date and earlier technologies, it’s amazing article.
Great article! This is the type of information that should be shared across the
web. Shame on the search engines for not positioning this submit higher!
Come on over and discuss with my site . Thank you =)
Hello there! I know this is kinda off topic nevertheless I’d figured I’d ask.
Would you be interested in trading links
or maybe guest authoring a blog post or vice-versa?
My blog goes over a lot of the same subjects as yours and I
think we could greatly benefit from each other.
If you are interested feel free to shoot me
an e-mail. I look forward to hearing from you! Excellent blog by the way!
My family every time say that I am wasting my time here at
net, except I know I am getting familiarity everyday
by reading thes nice posts.
Wonderful site you have here but I was curious if you knew of
any forums that cover the same topics talked about in this article?
I’d really love to be a part of online community where I can get opinions from other experienced people that share the
same interest. If you have any suggestions, please let me know.
Bless you!
If some one wishes to be updated with most recent technologies therefore he must be pay a visit this website and be up to date
daily.
I’m amazed, I must say. Rarely do I come across a blog that’s
equally educative and interesting, and let me tell you, you have hit the nail
on the head. The issue is something that too few folks are speaking intelligently about.
I am very happy I stumbled across this in my search for something relating to this.
This paragraph will assist the internet visitors for creating new weblog or even a weblog from start
to end.
Have you ever thought about creating an ebook or guest authoring on other sites?
I have a blog based on the same ideas you discuss and
would really like to have you share some stories/information. I know my viewers would appreciate your work.
If you’re even remotely interested, feel free to shoot me an e-mail.
Amazing! Its genuinely amazing post, I have got much clear idea about
from this article.
You have made some really good points there. I looked on the internet for more
information about the issue and found most people will go along with your views on this web site.
Incredible quest there. What happened after?
Thanks!
If some one wants to be updated with most up-to-date technologies afterward he must be visit
this website and be up to date daily.
I am really impressed with your writing skills
and also with the layout on your blog. Is this a
paid theme or did you customize it yourself? Anyway keep up the excellent quality writing, it
is rare to see a nice blog like this one today.
Thanks for sharing your info. I really appreciate your efforts and I
am waiting for your next write ups thank you once again.
What’s up, constantly i used to check website posts here in the early hours
in the break of day, for the reason that i enjoy to learn more and more.
You could definitely see your enthusiasm within the paintings you write. The world hopes for even more passionate writers like you who aren’t afraid to mention how they believe. All the time follow your heart. “Man is the measure of all things.” by Protagoras.
You’re so cool! I do not believe I’ve truly read
anything like that before. So good to discover someone with
some unique thoughts on this topic. Seriously.. thanks for starting this up.
This web site is one thing that’s needed on the web, someone with a bit of originality!
Hello just wanted to give you a quick heads up.
The text in your content seem to be running off the screen in Ie.
I’m not sure if this is a format issue or something to do with internet browser compatibility but
I figured I’d post to let you know. The design look great though!
Hope you get the problem fixed soon. Cheers
Excellent blog you’ve got here.. It’s hard to
find quality writing like yours these days.
I truly appreciate individuals like you! Take care!!
Pretty great post. I simply stumbled upon your blog and wanted to
say that I have really loved browsing your weblog posts.
In any case I’ll be subscribing to your rss feed and I am hoping you write
once more very soon!
Wow, this article is good, my sister is analyzing these
things, therefore I am going to tell her.
I intended to create you this very small word to help say thanks again for these stunning suggestions you have featured on this website. This is certainly particularly generous of people like you to give easily what exactly many of us would’ve distributed as an e-book to earn some profit on their own, most importantly seeing that you might have done it in case you wanted. The things likewise served like the great way to comprehend many people have a similar keenness much like my very own to realize more related to this matter. I am certain there are several more enjoyable occasions up front for folks who read through your site.
Hey I know this is off topic but I was wondering
if you knew of any widgets I could add to my blog that
automatically tweet my newest twitter updates. I’ve
been looking for a plug-in like this for quite some time and was hoping maybe you would have some experience with something like this.
Please let me know if you run into anything.
I truly enjoy reading your blog and I look forward to your new updates.
It’s a shame you don’t have a donate button! I’d definitely donate
to this brilliant blog! I suppose for now i’ll settle
for bookmarking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account.
I look forward to fresh updates and will talk about this website
with my Facebook group. Talk soon!
I will immediately clutch your rss feed as I can not to find your
email subscription hyperlink or e-newsletter service.
Do you’ve any? Kindly allow me know in order that I could subscribe.
Thanks.
Do you believe you’ve lived before? Would you find it interesting to learn who you were in other incarnations? Past life regression hypnosis is a reliable methodology to explore your hidden past lives memories.