The Billboard Museum Association on Sunday picked up the pink Cadillac that long was on display in front of the now-closed Ann’s Chicken Fry House in Oklahoma City and plans to restore it at its future museum home.
KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City reported:
“We’re going to pull out the ’59 pink Cadi, and that’s been sitting here for many years,” said Jim Gleason, vice president of the Billboard Museum Association. “We’re saving these iconic pieces so that we can all view them in the future.”
Gleason said the pink Cadillac will become part of a large collection of neon signs. The association moved the car from the restaurant on Sunday, saying it’s now at a safe location and waiting to be restored before being put on display.
The association also snapped several photos of the Cadillac being moved:
The association, based in nearby Bethany, Oklahoma, is a federally recognized nonprofit organization formed in 2013. It stated plans to build an outdoor driving loop that displays historic billboards, plus more of its collection inside a museum building. The principals say more details will be announced at a later date.
Ann’s Chicken Fry House closed in late December, short of its 50th anniversary, because of the financial hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic. That lot started life on Route 66 in 1948 as a Cities Service gas station, then became a Three Bulls Steak House in 1966.
Tony Maxey, who owns the building where Ann’s operated, said last week he was trying to buy the business so the restaurant can keep going.
Regardless of what happens, it appears the Ann’s pink Cadillac has found a new home.
(Image of the Ann’s Chicken Fry House Cadillac being towed via the Billboard Museum Association’s Facebook page)
Heard in the news that Ann’s is planning to re-open as a “Diner”.
Restore the caddy don’t cut it up to use for neon signs.