LOS ANGELES, CA – West Hollywood is installing new “WeHo 66” roadway signs along Santa Monica Boulevard in mid-October to mark the 100th anniversary of Route 66, in two designs created by local graphic artist Sküt, according to the City of West Hollywood.
The signs line the Santa Monica Boulevard corridor, which carries the Route 66 designation through the city. One design continues the imagery of the city’s Rainbow District, updated to represent West Hollywood’s west side. The signs on the east side of the city use a bold blue design.
The installation follows the city’s unveiling of the signage in August and is one piece of a wider Route 66 centennial program that includes public art in several parts of West Hollywood.
Two designs by a local artist
Sküt, a local graphic artist, created both versions of the WeHo 66 signs. The Rainbow District design carries forward the rainbow-themed look of that stretch of Santa Monica Boulevard, with an updated treatment for the city’s west side.
The second design departs from the rainbow palette. Signs on the east side of West Hollywood use a bold blue design instead.
The city’s Route 66 Centennial page describes the WeHo 66 roadway signage by Sküt as signs to be installed along Santa Monica Boulevard. The page also covers the August program that unveiled the signs.
Signs unveiled at Plummer Park in August
City officials first showed the signage on Sunday, Aug. 16, at the free Route 66 Centennial Celebration at Plummer Park, 7377 Santa Monica Blvd. The unveiling took place at 11:30 a.m., and the program recognized artists Luciana Abait, Vinnie Hager and Sylke Meyer, whose work is part of the centennial program.
The city had announced the event in a news release that said the WeHo 66 signage designed by Sküt would be unveiled there. The celebration ran from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and included classic cars, historical presentations, art installations and live music. Pop-culture historian Charles Phoenix presented “Los Angelesland.”
At the celebration, the city said the signs would be installed along Santa Monica Boulevard in the fall.
Council directed the redesign in 2024
The project goes back to the West Hollywood City Council’s meeting on Aug. 5, 2024, when it took up Item 6.A, titled Route 66 Signage Redesign. The council directed staff to work with Sküt on two complementary designs.
One of those designs was to carry a rainbow LGBTQ theme for the Rainbow District. The other was to use traditional Route 66 colors.
The council also authorized $5,000 from the 2024-25 fiscal year’s Special Council Programs funds to cover design and related costs.
Signs join other centennial art projects
The signs sit alongside several other Route 66 centennial projects. Abait’s window mural, called “Road Trip” and also referred to as “Open Road,” is an 80-foot storefront piece at 8315 Santa Monica Blvd., on display through November. The city announced the temporary piece in a news release on the installation.
Meyer’s camera obscura sculpture, “Past Tense / Future Perfect,” is due at Plummer Park this fall.
Hager’s “Path Discovery” is a multi-city project among West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica. In West Hollywood and Santa Monica, it wraps street poles in vinyl designs centered on a customized WeHo Route 66 shield, while Beverly Hills is using art banners, according to the city’s announcement of the multi-city project.
Installation continues along Santa Monica Boulevard
The installation of the WeHo 66 signs is under way along Santa Monica Boulevard, and Meyer’s sculpture is due at Plummer Park this fall.
The signs form part of the city’s recognition of Route 66’s 100th year, a program that began with the Aug. 16 celebration and continues with the Sküt designs along the boulevard.
