Monday, November 29, 2010

Big Top Comes to the Museum


After more than three years and at least three dozen phone calls from museum supporters, the iconic Big Top sign is now safe in the hands of the American Sign Museum.
Originally displayed in Mason, OH about a half hour from the museum, the sign has stood unattended after the closing of the restaurant in 2005.
I had tried several times to contact the owner of the property, but to no avail. It wasn't until Karen Duesing, the realtor who had listed the commercial plot, got involved that the owner agreed to donate the sign.
The imminent widening of the adjacent state route must have also been a factor since the sign stood in the way of 'progress'.
Unfortunately, the sign had suffered a great deal of paint damage in the years since it first came to our attention. More recently, the sign suffered a blow to the bottom panel, collapsing the sheetmetal.
The crew of our go-to-guys--United-Maier Signs--took extreme care in removing the sign and hauled it off to their shop to see what could be done to save this original section of the sign. Whether the metal can be saved or not, this sign will most assuredly require re-painting--an exception to our general policy of not re-painting signs.












We're thrilled we could save this Cincinnati icon. It will have a prominent place in our Signs of Cincinnati exhibit when we move to our new, larger site.

6 comments:

  1. excellent save! Repainting is not a sin!

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  2. Yes, whether to restore them to their original glory or let them wear their history proudly always makes for a lively discussion.

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  3. Great news. I've noticed that deteriorating over the last few years and feared it was a goner.

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  4. My Uncle Bo, my Brother Chris and I (Monty/Jay) had used to have our dine in Lunch or Supper at this old Restaurant landmark between the early 1990's to the late 1990's. This old Restaurant was a very nice Restaurant to dine in for Lunch and Supper. I know that all of the Individuals and Families had missed this Restaurant since its closing in 2005. As for the sign restoration service, please do an exceptionally super good work on bringing this old Restaurant's sign back to its original look, please. Thank you for our dine in Lunch and Supper memories, from my Uncle Bo, Brother Chris and I (Monty Jay).

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  5. I grew up here as most of my family worked here. I miss it very much.

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