These vintage signs in San Jose could use some love

The vintage neon sign for Westside Billiards is just one of many around town in need of TLC.

Westside Billiards on San Carlos Street had a packed house when the Preservation Action Council of San Jose held a fundraiser last week to help fully restore the pool hall’s vintage sign.

Some of the crowd bought raffle tickets, purchased books, pins or stickers. Others took part in a benefit pool tournament to help launch PAC-SJ’s sign restoration fund, which is intended to help keep as many of the city’s beautiful old signs — neon and otherwise — in tip-top shape as much as possible. With a grant from the city of San Jose’s storefront activation program, the Westside Billiards sign was repainted by Tom Colla and its neon was repaired by glass artist Kevin Chong, who said the best thing about fixing up the sign is that it’s in use for a business that’s still around.

The sign still needs work on its incandescent bulb starburst and its 8-ball topper. PAC-SJ Executive Director Ben Leech said the fundraiser met its immediate goal to finish restoration of the Westside Billiards sign, but it’ll take a bit more to set up a standing fund to provide matching grants for other businesses.

“That would’ve required a few more deep-pocketed sponsorships that didn’t materialize, but we’ll keep plugging at it,” Leech said, adding that donations can be made toward the effort at www.presevation.org/donate.

Heather David is an expert on Mid-Century Modern architecture but became the go-to sign person as she led the San Jose Signs Project, a photographic guidebook to some of the area’s landmark signs (including many that are no longer around). Her presentation at the fundraiser highlighted several signs that contribute to San Jose’s local character.

Some historic signs including the Stephens Meat “Dancing Pig,” the Orchard Supply “arrow” sign, the City Center Motel “diving lady” sign and the Manny’s Cellar sign are at History Park. Others — like the sign for the Table in Willow Glen, the Studio climbing gym downtown or the former Futurama Bowl sign that advertises Safeway on Stevens Creek Boulevard — have been beautifully repurposed for new businesses.

But there are still several that are endangered “in the wild,” as David said. Among those she’s most concerned about are the fun Mr. T’s Liquor Locker sign on Lincoln Avenue, the Firato delicatessen sign in downtown San Jose, the Burbank theater marquee and the mammoth Western Appliance sign, which is too big to relocate but would be an amazing nighttime landmark if restored.

PAC-SJ Executive Director Ben Leech said he’s already been contacted by O.C. McDonald, a multigenerational San Jose company on West San Carlos Street, that has an animated neon sign in need of TLC, and he would add the 5-Spot Drive-In on South First Street to his wish list.

It would be great if San Jose had an indoor or outdoor museum to display the ones no longer in use, but I’m glad people are working to keep our few remaining examples of classic neon bright and alive.

ARTIST’S SAN JOSE HOMECOMING: Nationally recognized dancer and choreographer Vanessa Sanchez will be returning to San Jose with her all-female company La Mezcla for the local premiere of “Ghostly Labor,” a dance theater production about the history of labor in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands that has two performances this week at the Hammer Theatre Center.

Sanchez, whose work has been featured on stages around the Bay Area, the United States and Mexico, was born and raised in San Jose, where she attended Hoover Middle School and Lincoln High School. MACLA, the Latino arts group in downtown’s SoFA district, is presenting “Ghostly Labor,” which uses tap dance, Afro Caribbean rhythms, Mexican zapateado, a live band and animated video to bring laborers’ stories to the stage.

Performances are at 7:30 p.m. on March 21 and 22. Get tickets at www.hammertheatre.com.

STREET SCENES: The city of Palo Alto’s looking to beautify its streets by adding art to utility boxes. The city’s Public Art Program is making 20 ArtLift Grants of $1,000 each available to Bay Area artists either in Palo Alto or with a connection to the Peninsula city. The deadline to apply is March 31, and information on how to apply is available by going to www.cityofpaloalto.org/publicart and clicking on “Artist Opportunities.”