Out with the old, in with the new lighting in Landmark Signage

Landmark neon signs glow again in Twin Cities
New funding sources and new technology make it possible to relight some of the Twin Cities' most iconic neon signs.

Efforts have been quietly underway to literally flip the switch on history by relighting several of the cities’ most-recognized neon signs, using recent state-of-the-art LED lighting technology that makes it cheaper to restore and maintain them. (Jim Buchta Star Tribune)

“These signs are iconic, and really help to tell the story of this place,” said Laura Salveson, director of Mill City Museum, which is housed in the ruins of old stone mills along the Mississippi River. “These signs, and what they represent, live in people’s memories.” (Jim Buchta Star Tribune)

When the museum was established in 2003, pains were taken to preserve the nearby “Gold Medal Flour” signs that sit atop historic concrete grain silos overlooking the river. The effort wasn’t cheap. At the time, LED lighting wasn’t advanced enough to replicate the look of neon, so the neon tubes had to be restored and the structure rebuilt and stabilized. (Jim Buchta Star Tribune)

http://www.startribune.com/landmark-neon-signs-glow-again-in-twin-cities/289606701/


Today, "Gold Medal Flour" is the only one of the signs in the area that have not yet switched over to L.E.D Lighting. They are still using the traditional Neon lighting due to extra money left over from the $150,000 in which General Mills committed to using for maintaining the signs for a 10 year period. Signcrafters Outdoor does all of the maintenance and servicing of the Neon Signage on top of the historic "Gold Medal Flour".