Nighthawks on Elm Street
Coca-Cola, neon, and fedoras
by Paula Bosse
This may be my favorite Dallas photo EVER.
I have been absolutely fascinated by this gigantic Coca-Cola sign since I first saw a photo of it. It was once blinding pedestrians and motorists from its home at the intersection of Elm, Ervay, and Live Oak (Live Oak no longer extends to Elm and Ervay). It was the product of a very busy neon sign company called Outdoor Electric Advertising Inc. They did a lot of neon downtown (and beyond). Not only did this sign encourage you to drink more Coke (“Thirst knows no season”), it also provided a helpful weather forecast.
See other photos of this fabulous sign in previous posts here, here, and here.
See it in action — IN COLOR! — in a 1939 film clip on YouTube here (1:24 mark).
This is just so fantastic.
What makes if even more fantastic is that there is a diner under the sign! I think this is the first time I’ve seen anything other than a retail shop in this space. At night, with its plate glass windows, you can see everything going on in there. Every counterman, every coffee urn, every fedora. It’s the Dallas version of Edward Hopper’s 1942 painting, “Nighthawks.”
I’ve cropped a detail. Click it to see a larger image.
This photo is undated, but my guess is that it’s from around 1939/1940. The Coke sign changed over the decades, but the configuration of its various components seen here matches the one in the 1939 video linked above.
What was the diner? The exterior sign above the entrance at the left says “Stevens” and “Home of the Cheeseburger” (what a claim!). I checked the 1939 city directory, and there it was: Stevens Waffle House, 1703 Elm (no connection with the present-day Waffle House). It wasn’t until I discovered the Waffle House connection that I could figure out the rest of it: “So Waffling Good” — or maybe “So Waffley Good.” Either way, I approve. Stevens Waffle House was at this location from at least 1939 to 1943.
The other interesting thing about this photo is what can be seen on the sidewalk directly in front of the window. Those metal bars/handrails are at the entrance to an underground “comfort station.” Public restrooms. It’s probably best that the wafflers are facing away from that, although I’m sure the people-watching there was next-level.
I haven’t been this excited seeing a new photo in a long, long time. And I see great stuff every single day at work. Thank you to my co-worker at the Dallas History & Archives, Adrianne, for bringing this one to my attention. I know she is tired of hearing me tell her how much I love this!
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Sources & Notes
Photo (undated and without a credited photographer) is from the Dallas History & Archives, Dallas Public Library (accession number PA81-00399).
For years I have searched for more information about this sign (when it went up, what people thought of it, etc.), but I’ve been unable to find anything. At least I now know that it was the work of the Outdoor Electric Advertising company. They are right up there with Texlite in neon greatness. If anyone has more information on this sign, I’d love to hear more!
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