Signs of the times: Photographer’s ‘Vintage Neon Project’ documents bygone era

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Todd Bates documents the evolving history of American roadways. Ten years ago, the St. Petersburg graphic designer started the Vintage Neon Project.

He photographs old signs that represent a bygone era of Florida tourism.

"When the car was king and the family summer road trip was the way that people went on vacation," he explained.

Most of the signs Todd shoots are motels on old tourist routes, like the Sandman on 34th Street in St. Pete.

"It's just such a whimsical sign. That’s the way people used to get to the Skyway when they were driving through St. Pete," he said.

Todd says decades of wear and tear add to the allure of them.  "It’s really a lost art form. I love seeing the decay and the fading paint. It’s just really beautiful to me."

The project started locally, but now it's gone national.

"Before you know it, I’m flying out to Los Angeles or to parts of Route 66. Just recently I flew out and did a stretch of Arizona and New Mexico," Todd continued.

He’s motivated by Father Time, as age is catching up to many of these relics. They are disappearing fast.

"I feel this anxiety to get out there and shoot as many as I can because I’ll take a trip one year and then a year or two later, I'll drive on that same route and half the signs will be gone."

Todd hopes the project raises awareness and inspire towns to preserve them like the city of St. Petersburg has done with the famed Sunken Gardens sign.

The project now contains hundreds of images, but Todd says it's an open book with no end in sight.

"As long as there are signs out there, I’m going to keep hunting them down and documenting them because I think it’s important that we do that and we have a record of what once was."

LINK: For more information, visit www.vintageneonproject.com