One of the most creative neon preservation projects in existence right now has to be the “Neon Alley” in Pueblo, Colorado, USA.
Created by local lawyer and neon collector Joseph Koncilja and his brother, Neon Alley is claimed by Koncilja to be “the greatest assemblage of vintage neon signs east of the Las Vegas strip and west of Times Square.”
Neon Alley is located in Pueblo’s Historic District directly across the street from the Pueblo Union Depot, which is one of Colorado’s greatest architectural triumphs and a state historic site. At the time of its creation over 1-2 years ago, the collection started with just 12 signs. Now it’s said to have over 80 (as of late 2015) with more to come over time.
Most of the signs here have been collected by the Konciljas from all around the USA. Almost all of them tell tales of the days of some 5-6 decades ago when the streets in almost every major city in America glowed in various shades of neon. Now thanks to the efforts of Joseph Koncilja and his brother, at least one street in America will keep on glowing just as they once did a half century ago!
Alley Location:
Links:
- http://pueblopulp.com/neon-alley-expands-pueblo-colorado-b-street-union-depot (Article about Neon Alley from the Pueblo Pulp magazine and blog.)
- https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.763064717087172.1073741874.436347573092223&type=3 (Page about Neon Alley at Save the Sign’s Facebook site. Includes an interview with Joseph Koncilja.)
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO-stwKiBBY (YouTube video about Neon Alley from Save the Signs’s Corky Scholl.)