A new outdoor space in Mesa illuminates the city’s history with restored neon signs that once appeared in various places downtown. The grand opening took place Thursday night.
The exhibition has commercial neon signs spanning from the 1940s to the 1970s and is next to a community space that was once the city’s first post office
There’s the vibrant 30-foot Watson’s Flowers sign, which was a fixture at the local flower shop on Main Street before it collapsed during a 2014 windstorm. The Mesa Preservation Foundation received the sign as a donation in 2019.
Nathan Johnson is the president of Watson’s Flowers and attended the event.
“I really enjoyed when they flipped the switch and all the lights came on. It's been 11 years since the sign was up. It's been more than that since all the neon was fully functional,” he said.
The old porcelain enamel Dairy Queen sign was a crowd favorite.
Mesa resident Nadia Khalighi says the Neon Garden recognizes different moments in time.
“I think any reason for us to come together in a positive way to honor history and embrace where we're at, where we've been, where we’re at and where we're going is a positive thing,” she said.
The space includes a replica of the animated Diving Lady motel sign. Khalighi remembers seeing the original outside the Starlite Motel.
“My favorite sign is the diving girl,” she said.
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