Neon adds a finishing touch to an Art Deco confection. A simple linear front with a blinking EAT GAS sign might have drawn just as much business--at much lower cost.

This went up in 1936, during the Dust Bowl and Great Depression. It was lavish and beautiful then, and it's been well restored inside and out. If it looks familiar--it inspired one of the buildings in "Radiator Springs" the fictional town in the "Cars" movies.

A solarized/colorized version of this image is also offered.