What’s the story behind the neon rocket ship at the Hi-Pointe Drive-In? —Byron K., St. Louis
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The Hi-Pointe Drive-In is a legitimate sensory overload, from the bold-colored shipping container façade and dining area to the whimsical steer on the roof to the outrageous burger specials…and then there’s that rocket ship.
But curios just don’t just appear at Michael Johnson restaurants. There’s always a backstory. So we asked him about that rocket ship.
“There’s an antique mall on the way to Chicago that had a spaceship they said they’d never sell,” Johnson recollects, “which made me want one all the more.
“One day, I was out with my friend Herman the German—that’s his real name, I’m pretty sure,” he quips. “We were visiting an artist who lived up on the river bluffs and I saw this old spaceship, in three pieces, that that was being used as a chicken coop. Apparently, it was used in retail displays 40 years ago. I offered to buy it and took it to my artist friend Mark Pitliangas, who reassembled it, added neon, and installed it at the drive-in.
Johnson didn’t think it would be a big attraction but it turned out that way. “People drive for hours just to have their picture taken next to it,” he says.
The rocket ship is but one of many artistic stimuli at the Hi-Pointe (see images below). When asked what’s next, Johnson said he’s been meaning to put a picture of Carolyn in the window of the spaceship, joking that “I just hope she doesn’t take it the wrong way.”
If you have a question for George, email him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @stlmag_dining or send him an email at [email protected]. For more from St. Louis Magazine, subscribe or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
