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Roadside Building Case Studies: Reading One in the Field
Roadside building case studies start in the field: at The Big Chicken, steel plates, patched footings and paint show what was done — and what was left undone.
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Roadside preservation budget notes: log unknowns before numbers
Roadside preservation budget notes that log every unknown, date each photo and reply, and rank gaps before any dollar figure enters a 2027 estimate.
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How restoration shops source replacement neon tubing for historic signs
A plain guide to buying straight glass, electrodes and transformers for historic neon signs, bending on the original pattern, and crating tubes for shipping.
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Read the Status Fields on a US Roadside Building Survey
How to read the status and review fields of a US roadside building survey sheet: SHPO form, contributing status, Section 106 and the standards behind ratings.
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International roadside architecture: how to read imported styles
How to spot imported styles in US and Canadian roadside buildings, from Bauhaus roofs to Art Deco parapets, and what those materials mean for preservation.
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Motel exterior records for 2027: what to photograph before a repaint
A pre-repaint photo and measurement record for motel exteriors in 2027: elevations, sign faces, paint layers, source notes, and companion record files to keep.
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Reading a US roadside building survey against Canadian and imported styles
A field by field walk through a US roadside building survey, with flags for Canadian climate notes and imported styles that change preservation plans.
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International roadside architecture Canada US: a border-aware method
International roadside architecture Canada US: a border-aware method for tracing how kit catalogs, home styles and codes shaped motels, diners and signs.
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Roadside design safety checklist: what to photograph before work begins
Turn a pre-work safety checklist into a photo sequence that documents existing conditions and feeds maintenance, scheduling, and exterior comparisons.
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Roadside design studios options: six workshops and their buildings
Roadside design studios options for a rare-craft detour: six named workshops, the buildings they restored, and how to plan the visit around them.
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How The Neon Museum and Las Vegas sign shops restore historic signs
Neon Museum Las Vegas sign restoration blends museum-grade conservation, careful storage and donor gifts, plus desert heat damage that named local shops repair.
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Route 66 preservation in eight states compared by climate and state law
Route 66 preservation eight states compared by climate and state law, from desert material survival to freeze-thaw damage and design review rules.
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Document before it disappears: a field list for roadside renovation photography
Renovation photography has one job the pretty version does not: recording what was there before somebody removes it and nobody can remember it.
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Eleven habits of modern roadside design that actually read at speed
Eleven things the good new roadside buildings get right, from reading at 60mph to leaving the original alone when you build next door to it.
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Shooting neon sign restoration twice: flat daylight, then dusk
Shoot the sign twice: once in flat daylight for the evidence, once at dusk for the light. Bracket hard, because neon fools every meter you own.
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Twelve frames every roadside architecture shoot should include
The twelve frames worth taking at every roadside building, why the hero shot is the least useful one, and how to photograph a neon sign properly.
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Dry roofs and quiet mechanicals: timing historic motel restoration
How to time historic motel restoration to the seasons: roof work waits for dry weather, mechanical work waits for the off-season, approvals fill the winter.
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Winter is underrated for vintage diner interiors: quiet rooms, warm windows, in 2027
Best seasons to plan vintage diner interiors in 2027: winter is the underrated season for this subject, quiet rooms, warm windows, staff with time to talk.
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6 things nobody tells you about historic motel restoration
Interventions that keep a motel's character and still work as a business, starting with the windows every owner is told to rip out and replace.
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How to research vintage diner interiors options
Learn how to research vintage diner interiors options through National Register files, facade clues, interior criteria, and calls to confirm what survives.
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Roadside architecture tips for reading what remains
Roadside architecture tips for reading old alignments, substitute materials, vanished neighbors, and the changes that make surviving places worth a closer look.