Entry No. 17 — the Pueblo file — filed under: outdoor
Pueblo Neon Alley
Pueblo defense attorney Joe Koncilja buys dead neon signs at auction, has Boyd's Neon in Colorado Springs shock them back to life, and hangs them in the alley beside his law office — 41 so far, from a stockpile of more than a hundred. A grasshopper-green 1940s police sign from Pasadena. The burger from L.A.'s Tommy's. Walter's Beer, Pueblo's own. It's free, it never closes, and it's billed as the most neon between Times Square and Vegas.
The story
Joe Koncilja is a local defense attorney whose day job involves dealing with Pueblo’s legal fallout. His side obsession, however, is rescuing dead neon signs at auction, hauling their rusted carcasses north to Boyd’s Neon in Colorado Springs for recasting and gas-charging, and mounting them on the brick walls of the alley running right past his office. What started as a personal vanity project turned into a high-voltage outdoor museum that now packs 41 restored relics—plucked from a personal stockpile of well over a hundred.
Walk down the asphalt after the sky drops to black and you’re standing in cold, buzzing luminescence. The collection spans American highway culture and local industrial history: a 1940s grasshopper-green police sign salvaged from Pasadena, the iconic giant original hamburger sign from L.A.’s Tommy’s, and glowing homage to Walter’s Beer, Pueblo’s homegrown post-prohibition brew. They aren't behind glass, and there are no stanchions or docents—just hums, transformers, and gas tubes bolted directly to 19th-century masonry.
The alley is billed as hosting the highest concentration of neon between Vegas and Times Square, but unlike those tourist traps, nobody is trying to sell you a show ticket or a overpriced yard-long cocktail. It's an open-air corridor tucked behind West B Street where you can trace decades of commercial art in total silence, punctuated only by the occasional passing freight train across from the depot.
What it's like
You'll pull off B Street right across from the sandstone arches of the Pueblo Union Depot. The alley runs north toward C Street, flat-paved and completely open to the public 24/7, but coming before full dark is a waste of time. Once night falls, the glowing tubes throw sharp pink, green, and cobalt light across the brick walls and asphalt. It takes about twenty minutes to inspect every sign closely, and while the alley is lit well enough to feel safe, it's still a dark alleyway in downtown Pueblo—go with someone, watch your step, and hit Union Avenue for a glass of something cold right after.
The move: Go after full dark and walk the alley end to end, each picking the one sign you'd steal for your living room — then settle the argument over drinks on Union Avenue.
📍 Before you go The alley runs between B and C Streets directly across from the Pueblo Union Depot; the easiest way in is the entrance on the north side of B Street between South Union and South Victoria Avenues. Street parking around the depot and the Union Avenue Historic District is easy, and the alley itself is flat pavement, open-air, and a short walk from the Riverwalk. The signs only earn their keep after dark, so pair it with dinner or drinks on Union Avenue and wander over once the sky goes black.
- 📍 Pueblo
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 109 W. B Street, Pueblo, CO (alley entrance on the north side of B Street, between S. Union Ave and S. Victoria Ave)
Hours: Added 2026-06-11 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Bite Me Cake Company / Flip A Coin Arcade Bar — Pair a night-time alley walk under neon light tubes with basement arcade games and late-night ice cream just two blocks away on Union Avenue.
- The Clink Lounge — Follow up the cold glow of restored commercial signs with drinks inside a bar set within Pueblo's former city jail processing station.
- Forgotten Grumman TLRV Hovertrains — Contrast the glowing mid-century road culture in the alley with a daylight trip to see Pueblo's abandoned 300-mph experimental hovertrain prototype.
Good to know
How much does it cost to visit Pueblo Neon Alley?
Zero dollars. It is a completely open, public alleyway running between B and C Streets, accessible anytime day or night.
When do the neon signs turn on?
The signs are set on automatic timers tuned to dusk, so plan your visit for after the sun has set completely to catch them lit up.
Where is the best place to park?
Look for street parking along W. B Street or S. Union Avenue near the Pueblo Union Depot; you can park right around the corner and walk straight into the alley entrance.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Roadside America · springsmag.com · Official site · Atlas Obscura
last checked: 2026-06-11