Bringing Neon Signs Back To Life
While neon may be seen as a relatively new addition to the world of signs and signage, the reality is that neon signs have been extremely popular in the United States since the 1920s.
There were some cities and some communities that embraced neon signs more than others. The first neon sign in the United States was displayed on a Packard car dealership in Los Angeles. At that time two signs that simply read “Packard” were installed at the dealership, each sign costing a cool $1,250, even back in that time.
Neon signs were soon found all over Los Angeles, New York and other major cities. While often used by businesses, some other neon signs, some which became iconic, were also installed at about the same time to highlight some of the original buildings.
The Lido
A classic neon sign atop the Lido Apartments in Hollywood, CA is one of the latest projects we have completed at Dave’s Signs. Everyone knows the Lido Apartments; it is the building featured on the inside cover of the Eagles “Hotel California” album, and a very identifiable building in the Hollywood area.
Originally opening in 1928, the building featured a classic neon sign on the roof with the words Lido Apts in white on white neon. With the recent purchase of the building for $9.4 million, Lowe Enterprises came to us to restore the sign, but also to maintain the integrity of the sign and to keep to the renovation criteria of developing an authentic 1920s style throughout the building.
Our Work
To get started, we had to construct a special scaffolding just to allow us to work on the sign. Our goal was to maintain the original structure, so we carefully prepared the back surface a repainted it to the original white luster.
We then repaired and replaced the original neon light work. In fact, this iconic sign is now visible again, adding to the skyline and the vintage look of the apartments.
As one of the few true neon sign companies in the area, Dave’s Signs is able to complete full restoration, repairs and upgrades to classic neon signs around the city. Our designers and technicians have worked on historic landmarks and have the knowledge, skills and experience to bring these signs back to their originally brilliance and splendor, adding character and style not possible with other sign options today.
If you have a historic neon sign that needs restoration in Los Angeles contact us at (805) 641-1387and tell us about your project.
