Somebody forgot to turn out the light. Then they built a wall that covered it up. That was more than 70 years ago.
It might have stayed hidden forever, but the new owner of the fabled Clifton’s Cafeteria in Los Angeles, California decided to undertake a massive restoration of the old building. There, behind a wall in the first floor women’s restroom, workmen removed a panel and discovered the bulb. To everyone’s surprise, it was still burning.
The new owner, Andrew Meieran, believes the light was installed in 1935 when the building was being re-decorated as a forest-themed restaurant. Neon panels were installed to light translucent forest murals throughout the restaurant, including the restrooms.
At some point in the restaurant’s history, the restroom was partitioned in order to create a storage area. The light’s nook was covered over in plastic and plywood, then forgotten. Now that it has been rediscovered, Mr. Meieran plans to place a replica transparency over it.
Experts say that neon lights rarely survive for more than 40 years, and agree that this particular light may be the oldest of its kind in the world. Mr. Meieran speculates that the hidden bulb may have cost as much as $17,000 over the estimated 77 years of its life.
If you’d like to see a great series of photos of the light and learn a little more about the history of Clifton’s Cafeteria, visit here
No comments:
Post a Comment