Tucson Escorts: History comes back to life with neon Tropicana sign
The cast behind restoring the Tropicana sign reads like a scroll of movie credits. Buffalo Exchange funded the restoration carried out by Cook & Co. Signmakers. Jude Cook did the project management and layout; Scott Reeves and Isaac Reyes were responsible for crane and rigging work; Steve Gaspard did the wiring; Mike Spronken undertook the metal work and lettering; Sam Richardson was the neon man; layout and patters came courtesy of Rudy Florez; Mike Braun did the painting and Cisco Campista assembled the sign.
“My hope is by doing this we will help reshape how the city views this part of the city,” Clinco said. “Miracle Mile was the major entrance and exit to the city.”
When Interstate 10 first opened, Tucson had only three exits and one was Miracle Mile. But Miracle Mile’s decline started in the late 1960s as more freeway exits opened. Motel owners started selling their properties in 1972 and Clinco said the 1973 oil crises “killed it. It became synonymous with prostitution.”
See the full article from “KOLD-TV”