A wide commercial strip of one and two storey stone and brick storefronts and neon motor court motels, where Slacker, Death Proof and Boyhood all shot.
What South Congress looks like
South Congress Avenue runs wide and straight south from the river, four lanes with the downtown skyline framed at the north end. Storefronts on both sides run one and two storeys, painted brick and stone under canvas awnings, several with tall vertical neon signs mounted above the door.
The 's orange neon sign has marked its 1938 motor court at 1220 South Congress since it opened. Its rooms wrap around a courtyard behind a green striped awning. A few blocks north, is a 1936 motor court restored into low grey bungalow rooms behind a wood slat fence.
holds a limestone corner storefront with a red cowboy boot mounted above its sign. Western wear and vintage clothing fill several ground floor shops farther along the strip. A three storey brick and glass building at 1333 rises above the older one storey roofline, apparel retail below and office space on the upper floors.
The is a one storey yellow brick building with a red metal roof, set back from the avenue at 1705. Its two garage bays open onto the street. Farther south, the is a two storey Victorian dating from 1876. It stands behind a hedge and a live oak, painted grey with wraparound porches and gingerbread trim.
Shot in South Congress
Richard Linklater shot both Slacker and Boyhood along this stretch of the avenue. The and , known as the Blue Bayou Club when Slacker filmed there, both appear in his work. Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof used Guero's Taco Bar a few blocks south, where the group plans its evening before Stuntman Mike starts watching from across the street.
Death Proof, 2007
The group plans their night out at a sidewalk table outside Guero's Taco Bar, with Stuntman Mike watching from across the street at Home Slice Pizza. The restaurant's arched sign hangs over its parking lot entrance facing the avenue.
Boyhood, 2014
South Congress sidewalk
Boyhood shot a scene on the sidewalk of South Congress Avenue outside Allen's Boots at 1522 South Congress, where Mason walks past the storefronts with his sister and his girlfriend. The Continental Club, a few blocks north at 1315 South Congress, appears in a separate scene with a country band playing inside.
What South Congress can double for
Miracle Mile in Tucson, Arizona
Miracle Mile still has the run of single storey motor court motels with tall vertical neon signs that went up along the strip between the 1930s and the 1950s, including the Ghost Ranch Lodge and the Tucson Inn. Thirty nine of these motor courts survive along a mile and three quarters of the old highway, a longer unbroken stretch than South Congress has today. The desert plantings and mountain backdrop give Arizona away in a wide shot, so keep the frame tight on the motel signs and porte cocheres rather than the skyline behind them. Try searching motor court motel neon sign now.
East Colfax Avenue in Denver, Colorado
East Colfax runs wide and straight for miles with the same roadside mix of motels and neon signs that lines South Congress. Signs like the La Vista Motel's have been restored rather than removed. Colfax runs longer and wider than South Congress, with more traffic lanes and more roadside frontage for a production to use. Denver's mountain light and the absence of a southern skyline mean a wide establishing shot gives the city away, so stay close on the motel signage and storefronts. Try searching roadside motel neon sign now.
Downtown Guthrie in Guthrie, Oklahoma
Guthrie's downtown is built from the same ornate Victorian brick storefronts and cast iron trim that South Congress's 1880s buildings show in miniature. The Eck Dry Goods Building is one of the few survivors here, while Guthrie still has several full blocks of them standing. The production Reagan shot there for its period Main Street look. Guthrie's buildings run two and three storeys with taller cornices than South Congress's low strip, so a wide shot needs careful framing to avoid showing the extra height and the town square layout. Try searching Victorian brick storefronts Main Street now.
