Preservation Mirage Secures Historic Destination for the Pink Elephant Car Wash Sign
Written by Preservation Mirage
To coincide with the 50th anniversary of Rancho Mirage, Preservation Mirage worked with the current ‘Rancho Super Car Wash’ operators and owners to apply for a complete historic designation for the city’s only neon sign. The city’s historic preservation commission approved the landmark destination before being unanimously awarded by our City Council, ensuring the Pink Elephant remains a
permanent fixture on Highway 111 for generations to come.
About the Pink Elephant
The Anderson family in Seattle owned and operated one of the city’s first automated car washes. In 1956, they opened a second ‘Elephant Super Car Wash’ on Battery Street. They commissioned Campbell Neon founder and designer Beatrice “Bea” Haverfield, known as the “Queen of Neon,” to create a giant rotating pink elephant with 380 blinking lights – a motion, light, and kitsch masterpiece.
In 1966, Richard Fromme, whose wife, Marilyn, was the daughter of Alden Anderson, opened the ‘Rancho Super Car Wash’ in Rancho Mirage and used a similar pink elephant sign to attract attention. Of the seven family-owned car washes, only the Rancho Mirage location is still in operation. In 2022, the two Seattle signs became historical landmarks; the large sign was donated to the Seattle Museum of History and Industries neon collection. Amazon stepped in, to restore the smaller sign, which now stands near its headquarters.
Learn more about Preservation Mirage at: www.preservationmirage.org
