The Golden Spur restaurant, famous for its old-style neon sign, along Route 66 in Glendora, California, closed suddenly this month.
The restaurant at 1223 E. Route 66 posted this message on its Facebook page on Oct. 12:
Thank you for the memories! After 100 years of serving Glendora the Golden Spur will be closing its doors for good on Saturday. Please visit us for dinner or one last drink at the bar and say goodbye to our favorite bartenders! Thank you Glendora, it’s been an honor to serve you!
The closing came with little to no notice. The restaurant had posted a message Oct. 11 about an event there in November.
No word has emerged about the fate of the restaurant’s neon sign, although a volunteer for the Museum of Neon Art in nearby Glendale said in a Facebook comment that someone at the museum would contact the owners.
One commenter on the Yelp review site stated:
Rumor has it they want to put up condos. I sure hope that’s false information. Condos are the last thing that should ever be built here.
Hopefully somebody will buy the restaurant from the property owners and bring it back to life. It needs to be preserved as part of California Route 66 history. If not, looks like the bulldozer is on it’s way.
I don’t have the $$ so I’m not able, but would someone please step up and buy the iconic Golden Spur sign and spare it from the wrecking ball!
A phone call and e Facebook message to the restaurant went unanswered.
According to Los Angeles County property records, the Golden Spur’s current location was built in 1932.
Legends of America reported this about the Golden Spur:
Though its “new” stucco exterior belies its long history, the Golden Spur began as a ride-up hamburger stand for the equestrian crowd. Today, the old restaurant offers a full menu of steak and seafood, but its vintage neon sign, complete with a cowboy boot, remains as a reminder of its colorful past.
(Image of the Golden Spur’s neon sign at night by Thomas Hawk; daytime image of the Golden Spur sign during the day by Don Barrett, both via Flickr)