Lighted marquee with large “FOX” sign above it. — The Fox Theatre’s unmistakable entrance.

Your ultimate guide to Atlanta's most iconic, beloved signs

Quirky, historic, holy, or just plain weird—Atlanta’s loaded with noteworthy signage

By KaronCurbed Updated Apr 9, 2020, 5:46pm EDT

27 comments / new

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The Fox Theatre’s unmistakable entrance.

| Georgia Department of Economic Development

By KaronCurbed Updated Apr 9, 2020, 5:46pm EDT

27 comments / new

From the classic gold letters on Tech Tower at Georgia Tech to the iconic neon sparkling over the Majestic Diner, the Atlanta area boasts some pretty remarkable signs.

These are mood-lifting, night-brightening landmarks and, in many cases, constants in a rapidly changing city. (Unless you’re the longstanding EQUITABLE sign downtown, which was controversially replaced last year with Georgia’s Own LED sign).

So buckle up and come along for a tour of signs that make every Atlantan think of home.

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Krispy Kreme Doughnuts

Opened in 1965, the bastion of tastiness that is the Krispy Kreme on Ponce is almost as well known for its iconic sign as for its sweet treats.

Open in Google Maps

295 Ponce de Leon Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30308

Large red and white Krispy Kreme Doughnuts sign.

“Fly Delta Jets”

Originally installed in 1968 at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the “Fly Delta Jets” sign has long greeted travelers arriving and departing Georgia’s capital city. In the early 2000s, the sign went dark as Delta fought its way out of financial woes, but the lights came back on in 2007.

Open in Google Maps

6000 N Terminal Pkwy, Atlanta, GA 30320

Building with red and white “Fly Delta Jets” sign on it.

TECH Tower

Lighted signs on all four sides of the seven-story Georgia Tech tower, this famous installment can be seen all over campus. Students have stolen the letter T so many times over the years, sometimes even photographing the wayward letter on vacation in various locations, that the school was forced to start a "Keep The T In Tech" campaign.

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225 North Avenue Northwest, Georgia Institute of Technology, Harrison Square, Atlanta, GA 30332

Visit Website

Top of red building with “TECH” near the top in gold letters.

Ebenezer Baptist Church

The historic sign that marks Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s church was repaired in 2001 during Part One of a two-part renovation project.

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407 Auburn Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30312

Blue sign with white letters that read Ebenezer Baptist Church

The Varsity

The Varsity's famous V sign can be seen from the Downtown Connector, summoning everyone from presidents to college students with stomachs of steel to come enjoy an F.O. and naked dog.

61 North Ave NW, Atlanta, GA 30308

Large red and white V-shaped sign with “Varsity” on it.

Also featured in:

Manuel's Tavern

Manuel's Tavern is known as many things: locals hangout, Democrat haven, nationally recognized bar, and home to the familiar painted sign with the blue hog.

602 N Highland Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30307

Today's high is 75 and the low is 65. Though today's weather isn't a good example of it, we're kind of USPS of bars:...
Posted by Manuel's Tavern on Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Also featured in:

The Vortex Bar & Grill

It isn't as old as some signs on this list, but the Vortex's spiral-eyed skull entrance has become synonymous with Little Five Points since it revealed its toothy grin two decades ago.

438 Moreland Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30307

Doorway surrounded by skull and swirly eyes.

Also featured in:

“Jesus Saves”

Considered the mother church of African Methodism in Atlanta, Big Bethel AME Church on Auburn Avenue is easily recognizable thanks to the blue “Jesus Saves” sign mounted on the steeple.

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220 Auburn Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30303

Visit Website

Church steeple with blue “Jesus Saves” sign on it.

Hotel Clermont

Since 1924, the Hotel Clermont has lived a colorful life, even narrowly missing complete extinction before it was rescued by those who valued its history. In addition to the hotel’s popular Clermont Lounge sign, which, since 1965, depicts two (ahem) totally accurate line drawings of the women inside, it also features equally notable hotel signage overlooking its scenic rooftop.

789 Ponce de Leon Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30306

Visit Website

Red tower atop a building with “Hotel Clermont” on it.

Also featured in:

Majestic Diner

Ah, food that pleases since 1929! The Majestic Diner's neon has called many a drunken Ponce de Leon frolicker to enjoy 4 a.m. breakfasts and coffee.

1031 Ponce de Leon Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30306

Nighttime shot of building with neon lights across the roofline.

Also featured in:

The Plaza Theatre

Next door to the Majestic, the Plaza Theatre's eye-catching marquee, which has welcomed patrons since 1939, is being renovated and restored. Neon will be replaced with LEDs and rust will be removed.

Open in Google Maps

1049 Ponce De Leon Avenue Northeast, Briarcliff Plaza Shopping Center, Atlanta, GA 30306

Lighted marquee with Plaza Theatre in neon.

Ponce City Market

After a long tenure as the home of a Sears, Roebuck & Company shipping center, the landmark building in Old Fourth Ward awoke to new life in 2014 as Ponce City Market. A hotspot for shopping, dining, and entertainment, PCM is easy to find, thanks to its already iconic, marquee sign across the top of the building. (The huge, Ponce-facing facade signage is eye-catching as well.)

675 Ponce De Leon Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30308

Visit Website

U-shaped multi-story building with Ponce City Market sign on roof and cyclists in front.

Also featured in:

KODAK Sign

Built in 1950, the building with Ponce's recognizable KODAK sign was a Star Photo camera shop before taking on the Kodak brand and has been abandoned for years, aside from a stint as Shirley Franklin's campaign HQ. When the building was sold to an investor in 2014, the contract included a provision that the sign remain.

Open in Google Maps

300 Ponce De Leon Avenue Northeast, Atlanta, GA 30308

Two-story building with large KODAK sign on the roof.

The Fox Theatre

Opened in 1929, the Fox Theatre and its vintage signage are centerpieces of Peachtree. Once threatened by demolition in the 1970s, it’s hard to imagine the city without the Fox and its luminescent signage now.

660 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, GA 30308

Lighted marquee with large “FOX” sign above it.

Also featured in:

The Biltmore

For more than 30 years, the South's first radio station, WSB, broadcasted from inside the Biltmore Hotel, and its radio towers became (and remain) a city landmark.

(With writing contributions above from former Curbed staffer Kimberly Turner.)

Open in Google Maps

817 W Peachtree St NW, Atlanta, GA 30308

Visit Website

Multi-story building with twin radio towers on the roof.

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Krispy Kreme Doughnuts

295 Ponce de Leon Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30308

Opened in 1965, the bastion of tastiness that is the Krispy Kreme on Ponce is almost as well known for its iconic sign as for its sweet treats.

Open in Google Maps

295 Ponce de Leon Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30308

Large red and white Krispy Kreme Doughnuts sign.

“Fly Delta Jets”

6000 N Terminal Pkwy, Atlanta, GA 30320

Originally installed in 1968 at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the “Fly Delta Jets” sign has long greeted travelers arriving and departing Georgia’s capital city. In the early 2000s, the sign went dark as Delta fought its way out of financial woes, but the lights came back on in 2007.

Open in Google Maps

6000 N Terminal Pkwy, Atlanta, GA 30320

Building with red and white “Fly Delta Jets” sign on it.

TECH Tower

225 North Avenue Northwest, Georgia Institute of Technology, Harrison Square, Atlanta, GA 30332

Lighted signs on all four sides of the seven-story Georgia Tech tower, this famous installment can be seen all over campus. Students have stolen the letter T so many times over the years, sometimes even photographing the wayward letter on vacation in various locations, that the school was forced to start a "Keep The T In Tech" campaign.

Open in Google Maps

225 North Avenue Northwest, Georgia Institute of Technology, Harrison Square, Atlanta, GA 30332

Visit Website

Top of red building with “TECH” near the top in gold letters.

Ebenezer Baptist Church

407 Auburn Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30312

The historic sign that marks Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s church was repaired in 2001 during Part One of a two-part renovation project.

Open in Google Maps

407 Auburn Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30312

Blue sign with white letters that read Ebenezer Baptist Church

The Varsity

61 North Ave NW, Atlanta, GA 30308

The Varsity's famous V sign can be seen from the Downtown Connector, summoning everyone from presidents to college students with stomachs of steel to come enjoy an F.O. and naked dog.

61 North Ave NW, Atlanta, GA 30308

Large red and white V-shaped sign with “Varsity” on it.

Manuel's Tavern

602 N Highland Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30307

Manuel's Tavern is known as many things: locals hangout, Democrat haven, nationally recognized bar, and home to the familiar painted sign with the blue hog.

602 N Highland Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30307

Today's high is 75 and the low is 65. Though today's weather isn't a good example of it, we're kind of USPS of bars:...
Posted by Manuel's Tavern on Wednesday, February 21, 2018

The Vortex Bar & Grill

438 Moreland Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30307

It isn't as old as some signs on this list, but the Vortex's spiral-eyed skull entrance has become synonymous with Little Five Points since it revealed its toothy grin two decades ago.

438 Moreland Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30307

Doorway surrounded by skull and swirly eyes.

“Jesus Saves”

220 Auburn Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30303

Considered the mother church of African Methodism in Atlanta, Big Bethel AME Church on Auburn Avenue is easily recognizable thanks to the blue “Jesus Saves” sign mounted on the steeple.

Open in Google Maps

220 Auburn Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30303

Visit Website

Church steeple with blue “Jesus Saves” sign on it.

Hotel Clermont

789 Ponce de Leon Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30306

Since 1924, the Hotel Clermont has lived a colorful life, even narrowly missing complete extinction before it was rescued by those who valued its history. In addition to the hotel’s popular Clermont Lounge sign, which, since 1965, depicts two (ahem) totally accurate line drawings of the women inside, it also features equally notable hotel signage overlooking its scenic rooftop.

789 Ponce de Leon Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30306

Visit Website

Red tower atop a building with “Hotel Clermont” on it.

Majestic Diner

1031 Ponce de Leon Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30306

Ah, food that pleases since 1929! The Majestic Diner's neon has called many a drunken Ponce de Leon frolicker to enjoy 4 a.m. breakfasts and coffee.

1031 Ponce de Leon Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30306

Nighttime shot of building with neon lights across the roofline.

The Plaza Theatre

1049 Ponce De Leon Avenue Northeast, Briarcliff Plaza Shopping Center, Atlanta, GA 30306

Next door to the Majestic, the Plaza Theatre's eye-catching marquee, which has welcomed patrons since 1939, is being renovated and restored. Neon will be replaced with LEDs and rust will be removed.

Open in Google Maps

1049 Ponce De Leon Avenue Northeast, Briarcliff Plaza Shopping Center, Atlanta, GA 30306

Lighted marquee with Plaza Theatre in neon.

Ponce City Market

675 Ponce De Leon Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30308

After a long tenure as the home of a Sears, Roebuck & Company shipping center, the landmark building in Old Fourth Ward awoke to new life in 2014 as Ponce City Market. A hotspot for shopping, dining, and entertainment, PCM is easy to find, thanks to its already iconic, marquee sign across the top of the building. (The huge, Ponce-facing facade signage is eye-catching as well.)

675 Ponce De Leon Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30308

Visit Website

U-shaped multi-story building with Ponce City Market sign on roof and cyclists in front.

KODAK Sign

300 Ponce De Leon Avenue Northeast, Atlanta, GA 30308

Built in 1950, the building with Ponce's recognizable KODAK sign was a Star Photo camera shop before taking on the Kodak brand and has been abandoned for years, aside from a stint as Shirley Franklin's campaign HQ. When the building was sold to an investor in 2014, the contract included a provision that the sign remain.

Open in Google Maps

300 Ponce De Leon Avenue Northeast, Atlanta, GA 30308

Two-story building with large KODAK sign on the roof.

The Fox Theatre

660 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, GA 30308

Opened in 1929, the Fox Theatre and its vintage signage are centerpieces of Peachtree. Once threatened by demolition in the 1970s, it’s hard to imagine the city without the Fox and its luminescent signage now.

660 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, GA 30308

Lighted marquee with large “FOX” sign above it.

The Biltmore

817 W Peachtree St NW, Atlanta, GA 30308

For more than 30 years, the South's first radio station, WSB, broadcasted from inside the Biltmore Hotel, and its radio towers became (and remain) a city landmark.

(With writing contributions above from former Curbed staffer Kimberly Turner.)

Open in Google Maps

817 W Peachtree St NW, Atlanta, GA 30308

Visit Website

Multi-story building with twin radio towers on the roof.