Save the 76 Ball - 76 ball

We Won!

kim — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 11:25:12 -0800

Nearly one year after we launched our campaign asking ConocoPhillips to reconsider their "destroy all balls" policy towards the historic blue and orange Union 76 Ball gas station signs, the Texas energy giant announced to the Wall Street Journal that they have changed their course. Focus groups held last fall told them what nearly 3000 signers of the Save the 76 Ball petition have already told us: people love the 76 Balls, and don't want them to disappear.

The 76 Balls that come off their poles are no longer being smashed or cut into pieces, but being preserved for donation to museums like the American Sign Museum, Petersen Automotive Museum, NASCAR Hall of Fame, Museum of Neon Art and perhaps even the Smithsonian! And a new type of 76 Ball, colored red rather than orange, will soon be installed at up to 100 gas stations in the west.

But there are still good reasons for signing our petition. We believe that a select few historically and architecturally significant orange 76 Balls should remain where they have always glowed and spun, like at William Pereira's modernist 76 station in Beverly Hills, one of the spheres along Highway One in Malibu, and the station in Marysville, WA where 76 Ball designer Ray Pedersen buys his gas. Also, ConocoPhillips has declared that no private individuals will be able to get a 76 Ball, which will be a disappointment to our campaign's supporter Michael Madsen. We respectfully ask that ConocoPhillips reconsider this policy, and present one 76 Ball to the individual who conceived, designed and hand-painted the first 76 Ball for the 1962 Seattle World's Fair: Ray Pedersen.

And most importantly, we ask that ConocoPhillips commit to pay all costs associated with crating and shipping donated 76 Balls to the selected museums, thus enjoying greater tax benefits and sparing these institutions from having to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars out of their limited budgets in order to receive the gift of the 76 Ball.

Our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported this campaign through 2006 and into 2007. This is inspiring proof that citizens have the power to reach large corporations and inspire positive change.

See A Vintage 76 Ball on Display at San Diego's Automotive Museum

kim — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 20:41:01 -0800

Several years after ConocoPhillips shipped a vintage 76 Ball to the San Diego Automotive Museum in Balboa Park, it was finally unboxed and installed in a mid-century car culture design icons display that includes a psychedelic VW microbus, a Woodie and an original Jack In The Box clown head.

Check out the museum director's playful blog entry about her 76 Ball installation adventure.

And if you're ever in San Diego, drop by the museum to pay a visit to the classic big orange ball, the object of our passion:

The Red Ball Cometh, The Orange Ball Falls

kim — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 08:36:49 -0700

What's that looming out of the gray San Fernando Valley gloom? Why, it's a shiny new 76 Ball, in ConocoPhillips' signature liver red! Yes, our own J. Eric Freedner has spotted one of the first of the new red 76 Balls manufactured to appease some of the upset caused by the destruction of the classic orange spheres, and reports in with photographic proof.

While we far prefer Ray Pedersen's original color scheme of warm sunshine orange and rich cornflower blue, we're happy to herald the birth of a new 76 Ball, especially when so many of the classic balls continue to be killed. Check out this disturbing OCRegister Travels with Gary blog post, suggested by commenter ocwarner, but only if you have a sturdy stomach. The image of the worker using an acetylene torch on the 76 Ball's pole is especially poignant. These are the clearest photos we've seen yet of the murder of a 76 Ball.

But it's simply too horrible to show on these pages. Here are a couple more shots of the new red ball at 6003 Woodman Ave. (at Oxnard) in Van Nuys instead.

Long live the mighty 76 Ball! If you see a red ball in your town, please comment below.

Turn Those 76 Balls On!

kim — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 16:34:10 -0800

Earlier today, Nathan and I were interviewed for a new automotive-themed television series called Black Top, with the 76 Ball on Glendale Boulevard in Atwater Village as the backdrop. The number 76 was not quite in the shot, and Nathan suggested he might go ask the station manager to set the ball spinning. Much to our shock and delight, the manager agreed, and by throwing just one switch gave the sign a much needed jolt of kinetic energy. We reckon that one of the other switches in the panel would have illuminated the ball, though this would not have been visible in bright sunlight.

And it was this inspiring experience that inspired us to ask you, oh lovers of the 76 Ball, to take a moment whenever you pass a 76 station which still flies its proud orange and blue colors and ask the manager to please make the ball spin. If it's dark out, ask that they light it, too. Heck, you can even offer to buy some gas in exchange! There aren't many 76 Balls left on their poles, and we fervently believe that every one of them should enjoy however many days, weeks, months or years it has left by spinning and glowing, just like Ray Pedersen designed it to do.

Together we can turn those 76 Balls on. Save the 76 Ball -- it's not too late!

The Sacramento Mystery Ball In Motion

kim — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 21:17:00 -0800

Jeremy Sanford shot this live action footage of the one known example of a 3D 76 Ball in the new red and blue color scheme. ConocoPhillips is tearing down all the classic orange balls; why did they erect one red ball in Sacramento?

Beverly Boulevard 76 Ball in Peril

kim — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 20:22:43 -0700

An urgent message from 76 Ball pal J. Eric Freedner should have all Angelenos fuming, as one of our most charming mid-city 76 Balls stands poised to be ripped from its pole and destroyed, perhaps this weekend! Nathan and I will be driving around town giving a Crime Bus tour all weekend... will some of you kind readers take it upon yourselves to guard and protect this sphere from harm?

"The 76 ball at Beverly Boulevard / St. Andrews Place in L.A. has yellow tape around it and signs of excavating around the base of the pole. I HAVE EVERY REASON TO BELIEVE THAT THIS SIGN WILL COME DOWN, PERHAPS THIS WEEKEND, TO BE REPLACED BY A NEW HUBCAP 76 SIGN.

St. Andrews Place is 2 blocks west of Western Avenue, on Beverly there is Schaeffer Ambulance and the 76 station is on the south side of the street one block further on."

California 76 Ball Seeks Pumpkin Costume For What Might Be Its Last Halloween

kim — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 18:16:01 -0700

The following is a public service announcement on behalf of a nice lady who owns a 76 station, and would like to bring some holiday cheer to her community. If you can help, please do!

My husband and I own a 76 station in Northern California. We're looking for one of the 76 ball covers that turns the ball into a jack-o-lantern for Halloween. Please contact me at ericka32@aol.com if you know where we can get one!

Thanks,

Ericka Davis

Michael Linder Gives The Ball The Eye

kim — Sun, 18 Jun 2006 12:15:23 -0700

Acclaimed KNX reporter Michael Linder has a nice feature on the Save the 76 Ball campaign in his weekend blog. Click over to enjoy a very clever montage of images, or just read on. Thanks, Michael!

Pinhead to the rescue of giant 76 balls! You know — those orange and blue globes being uprooted from gas stations across the Southland while Los Angeles culture aficionados howl.

The branding switcheroo is fallout from ConocoPhillips purchase of Union 76. Flat signage in ConocoPhillips red is replacing the big orange balls which were designed by Ray Pederson for the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair. The spheres have taken on urban treasure status among cultural preservationists who regard them as historic Jet Age flashbacks — like the Jetsonesque theme restaurant at LAX which also made its debut in ‘62.

This week, cartoonist Bill Griffith announced his “Zippy the Pinhead” comic strip is taking up the cause. Griffith’s passion for classic signs is legendary. We recently caught Zippy in print, chatting with the Felix Chevrolet sign at Jefferson and Figueroa. And, he’s got clout. Seen in over 200 newspapers, Zip’s strip is credited with saving the Bay Area’s Doggie Diner weiner dog signs from destruction.

Dogged determination by Kim Cooper and Nathan Marsak is fueling the campaign. The duo publish The 1947 Project, one of our all-time fave explorations into Los Angeles’ colorful past. (Our KNX news story streams here.) More than 2,300 signatures from motorists threatening to boycott have been gathered at their Save the 76 Ball site. “If that ball goes, so does this customer!”

ConocoPhillips hasn’t backed down despite a steady stream of media attention to the cause célèbre. Even the BBC is onto gas station castration. Actor Michael Madsen (“Reservoir Dogs,” “Kill Bill”) told the Beeb, “There seems to be this driving force to tear down everything that’s a little old. These are things that were landmarks, a symbol that I remember from childhood.” Madsen says he tried to buy a ball but was told they are destined to be crushed. “What’s the point of smashing them and putting up flat signs?”

Indeed! Not to mention the way some of the balls magically morph into Halloween jack-o-lanterns every October. Three dollar gas, now this.

L.A.'s 76 Balls in their natural habitat

kim — Wed, 14 Jun 2006 09:28:56 -0700

Here are five more 76 Ball short films from the camera of Earl Ma, these from his recent trip to Southern California. Compared to the Oahu spheres posted earlier, you'll note that the SoCal stations aren't using the rotating motors, thus weakening the power of this extraordinary sign. Is this a cost-saving move, or just another symbol of corporate neglect?

Studio City Union 76 service station, 12863 Ventura Boulevard, Studio City, CA, April 2006

Gregory Union 76 service station, 5436 W. 6th Street, Los Angeles, CA, April 2006

Tommy's Union 76 service station, 5890 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA, April 2006

Jack Colkers Union 76 station, 427 N. Crescent Drive, Beverly Hills, CA, April 2006

Norm's Union 76 service station, 7979 W. Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA, April 2006

Ray Pedersen on Steve Parker's Car Nut Show

rss — Thu, 23 Mar 2006 20:11:40 -0800

Listen to 76 Ball designer Ray Pedersen interviewed on Steve Parker's the Car Nut show, Newstalk 920 K-PSI Palm Springs. Ray talks about the genesis of the ball and his wild and wooly days as an ad exec for Young & Rubicam in the fifties and sixties. Show was recorded 3-05-06.

Visit www.steveparker.com for more info on cars, trucks, motorcycles, auto racing and auto lifestyles.

Subscribe to the Save the 76 Ball feed and stay tuned.