WN + MOHAI Collaborate on Removing A Seattle Icon: The Pink Elephant
The famous sign at the Elephant Car Wash, 616 Battery St., has been a beacon for decades. (Erika Schultz / The Seattle Times, 2019)
Western Neon is pleased to work with the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) to safely remove, transport, and refurbish another well know Seattle icon: the Pink Elephant. Located at the west end of South Lake Union in the Denny Triangle, this classic sign represents a lost era for the city but will live on in the museum’s collection alongside the “Rainier Brewery “R,” the 26-foot-tall Washington Natural Gas blue flame and many more.”
“In the post-World War II era when neon began adorning Seattle businesses, the gas-filled tubes “represented sophistication, a little bit of glamour,” said MOHAI director Leonard Garfield. “Particularly after the war, Seattle was beginning to fill the role of a city on the world stage. The Elephant Car Wash sign is part of that tradition — but with an element of whimsy.””
Stay tuned to our Instagram to monitor our progress in the next couple of weeks as our team mobilizes to remove the main sign with a crane and transport this piece of history to our shop for a full glass replacement and cleaning.
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