Sonrise Donuts neon sign in Springfield being auctioned

The nearly 70-year-old Sonrise Donuts neon sign along Route 66 in Springfield, Illinois, will be auctioned by tonight after the building’s non-doughnuts tenant said he no longer wanted it there.

The online auctions — separately for both halves of the rooftop sign — will end today at 7 p.m. Central. If you’re interested, you can bid online here. One side had an asking price of $3,000; the other was for $2,500. Both were near that price as of Monday evening.

The Springfield State Journal-Register, which had the scoop, reported:

The six-foot by eight-foot sign hasn’t warmed the Mother Road with its neon glow for decades. However, it has maintained its post at 1101 S. Ninth St. long after Sonrise Donuts closed in 1998, following the death of long-time owner/operator Don “Donuts” Greenslade.

Since then a half dozen businesses – ranging from the competing local doughnut chain Gold-N-Glow to the current taco joint Taqueria Moroleon – have operated under the sign, which reads “Sonrise Famous for Donuts Coffee Bar.”

Building owner Glenn Dillman said the sign’s ability to draw attention is why he finally decided to take it down.

“The current tenant just signed a five-year lease and he’s frustrated about people coming in asking for doughnuts,” Dillman said.

“If he wasn’t going to stay, I probably wouldn’t be taking it down. But this is his business. He has a right to advertise his business separate from the Sonrise legacy.”

The newspaper stated Byron Figuera founded Sonrise Donuts in 1947, and the sign arrived two years later. Greenslade, a former employee, bought the business in 1967 and at one point made more than 400 varieties of doughnuts each day.

Bill Kelly, executive director of the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway, said the sign surfaced on the auction site before the group could react.

This is yet another example of a historic Route 66 neon sign being removed. Johnnie Meier, former president of the New Mexico Route 66 Association, described the disappearing-sign phenomenon: “Our signs are in danger.”

He urged cities to add a landmark designation for historic neon signs on 66.

You can read about it in a story I wrote a few weeks ago.

UPDATE 12/13/2018: An anonymous group in Springfield won the bidding for both signs and it will stay in the city, the Springfield State Journal-Register reports. We probably will know within 90 days who it is; the signs must be removed by that time frame.

(Image of the Sonrise Donuts sign in Springfield, Illinois, via Aumann Auctions)

3 thoughts on “Sonrise Donuts neon sign in Springfield being auctioned

  1. The Route 66 Association of Illinois Board of Directors had a discussion on how we could save this sign – since its being removed from the building its more a project of making sure we can keep the sign in Illinois. We’ve never been asked or had to purchase anything that we display in our Hall of Fame and Museum in Pontiac. We’ve had major pieces donated in the memory of people and families that wanted to see their family legacy preserved. Our Board did decide to bid on the sign with monies that were raised for another project – keeping our membership monies and Preservation funds intact. We do not want to encourage people to view any Illinois Route 66 antiquity as instant cash. This sign was a major Springfield sign on 66. Would I like the sign to remain in Springfield? Yes. But if private collectors with deep pockets remove this sign from the Illinois Route 66 landscape – once its gone its not coming back. It’s been an emotional and difficult decision for the Board. We feel we can give it a great home in our museum in Pontiac and everyone can come see it for free and we’re open almost every day of the year. We have a set amount of money we can put toward this purchase. As of 1:42 a.m. I was outbid 7 times. It’s Christmas so maybe there is a Christmas miracle in this. Whomever purchases the sign may want to give it a new life at our museum. We would love to have the sign
    donated and would showcase it next to our other Springfield memorabilia that was donated. We would have a party and make sure there would be plenty of donuts. The sign would be treated with respect and shared with the world.

    1. What are we thinking?

      We have not purchased any of the artifacts in our museum. Why change our standards at this time. This sign is going to go for over $5,000!
      Think of what you are doing!

  2. EACH side of the Sonrise Donuts sign sold for $10,000.00. I made a run at it and thought I might have a good chance the way bidding was going. But it exploded at the end. Let’s hope the new owner will honor the sign’s history and presence on Route 66 for so many, many years.

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