Adopt-a-Sign

The Chris' and Pitt's Bar-B-Q sign that once heralded Store #5, in L.A. came to us already in disrepair. It suffered further at the hands of passers-by while it waited in the Essex Studios parking lot for a home at our new site.

We were delighted when Andy Puopolo, owner of East Coast Sign Company of Stoneham, MA agreed to restore the sign, free of charge.

You can help us bring more of these treasures back to life. View the signs above and review their story below. Then select a sign to adopt for the suggested amount or select 'Other' Please click on the 'Add a Dedication' box on the next page and enter the sign you would like to adopt. Adopters will be recognized by their respective signs at the museum.

• The Big Top sign was a local icon which stood along Route 27 in Mason, OH. It probably holds the record for number of phone calls and e-mails it prompted, saying we should save the it. Calls to the owner over a three-year period were unsuccessful until suddenly we got a call to say we could have the sign if we removed it. By then, the sign had deteriorated tremendously. The sign will need some extensive sheetmetal work, total neon repair, re-wiring and transformers, and repainting. But to Cincinnati fans, it will be worth it. Cost = $4500.
• We became aware of the Ten Pin Bowl sign in 2005 when Todd Ham of T. Ham Sign Company and his crew visited our booth at the Int’l Sign Association Sign Expo and said they had taken down a sign some years ago that we might be interested in. We picked up the sign in Mt. Vernon, IL that August and it’s been awaiting restoration since. This sign needs all new neon and transformers, plus sheetmetal repair to the sign cabinet. Cost = $2500.00
• The Big Bear sign is well-known to Ohio State alumni as having been the grocery store in Columbus, OH. The regional grocery chain stretched east to Wheeling, WV, before closing in 2004. Cal Lutz, former owner of DaNite Signs in Columbus, discovered this sign in the way back section of the shop’s boneyard — forgotten for many years. The sign is noteworthy for its dark ruby red glass, of which about 50% was intact. It still needs the other half of its vintage glass and transformers. Cost = $3000.
• Frisch’s is the Cincinnati-based franchise of the Big Boy brand. This sign once identified the Florence, KY store just south of I-71/75. When Frisch’s acquired a more favorable property adjacent to the exit, they couldn’t take the sign with them. They instead donated it to us in 2004 to complement the iconic fiberglass Big Boy donated five years earlier. The sign needs some neon repair, transformers and some wiring. Cost = $1000.00.
• Colonial Dairy was a gift from the Museum of Neon Art in L.A. It had sat in their window for years before the museum moved to downtown L.A. in 2005. The size of the sign was problematic, so executive director Kim Koga offered us the sign. We have 95% of its glass in storage. It needs the remaining glass, re-wiring, and transformers. Cost = $1200.
• This 25-foot Speedee McDonald sign was originally installed in 1963 in Huntsville, AL. The current franchise owner contacted us in 2007 about possibly purchasing the sign. When we followed up a few months later, he said there was a grassroots movement to keep the sign in Huntsville. Another three months went by, when he called to say local efforts had failed. A week later, the sign was headed to Cincinnati. Speedee requires about 65% neon replacement; re-wiring and new transormers; and overall clean-up of oxidized porcelain enamel. Cost = $5000.
• Affectionately known as Pinhead, the 1950s 16-ft. fiberglass bowling pin once identified Greenbrook Lanes in Greenbrook, NJ. He had been sitting in the yard of Ace Sign Company of Perth Amboy for more than 15 years. The owner had had Ace move the sign to another bowling alley, telling them to leave it on the roof. When the owner got a call from the local police, telling him Pinhead was sitting in the middle of the road, he had Ace take him to their shop. Ace never heard from him again. Pinhead now sits in the parking lot of our new building awaiting restoration. Cost = $2500.

Thank you for supporting our Adopt-a-Sign program.