A historic mid-century neon sign at the James Court Building in Old Town Cottonwood has recently been restored and will be relit in a ceremony on Thursday, Jan. 26. The sign was last lit prior to the late 1970s.
Artist and archaeologist Marie Palowoda and sign painter John Alvey worked to restore the sign to its original functionality. Now it reads “A. James Motor Court.”
The history of the building is not yet clear to Palowoda, who owns and rents out the building. Public records state that the building was built in 1964, but Palowoda has seen two postcards of Old Town from the 1950s that feature the sign. The land was purchased in 1945 by Abe James and Palowoda is still searching for further documentation.
Palowoda has a degree in art and is an avocational archaeologist, certified in survey and lab work, who did the artwork for the Tuzigoot National Monument Museum when it was renovated and reopened in 2011.
Alvey has been painting signs since the late 1970s. He painted the same sign for the building back when it was the Canal Street Apartments. When Palowoda purchased the building, the sign had been further modified with peeling plywood letters over the original sign that read “Old Town Cottonwood Apartments.”
“Neon signs are becoming a thing of the past,” said Palowoda. “John and I thought it would be really fun to restore the sign back to neon.”
The sign lighting ceremony and a celebration took place at the James Court Building, located at 107 E. Pinal Street across from the Old Town Mission, on Thursday, Jan. 26.
