American Sign Museum
Encyclopedia
The American Sign Museum in Walnut Hills, Cincinnati, Ohio
, preserves, archives, and displays a collection of signs. The museum also displays the equipment utilized in the design and manufacture of signs. Tod Swormstedt began working on the museum in 1999. It opened to the public in 2005.
, St. Louis, Memphis
, and other sites, but eventually settled on Cincinnati, the base of operations for Signs of the Times.
lettering on glass, a Sputnik-like plastic orb from an Anaheim shopping center, a rotating neon windmill from a Denver donut shop, Las Vegas
showcards, and a fiberglass Frisch's Big Boy statue with a slingshot in his pocket. (The slingshot was omitted from later models of the Big Boy statue.) One can also find signs from businesses such as Big Bear Stores, Dog n' Suds, Howard Johnson's
, and Earl Scheib
. Outside near the museum's entrance, visitors are greeted by a 20 feet (6.1 m) fiberglass genie from a Los Angeles
carpet cleaning company.
In 2008, the museum acquired a single-arch 1963 McDonald's
sign from Huntsville, Alabama
. The sign features McDonald's Speedee character, who was phased out in favor of Ronald McDonald
in the 1960s. In 2009, the museum added a neon sign from Johnny’s Big Red Grill, once a popular restaurant among Cornell University
students.
in 2007. The new location is part of the Oesterlein Machine Company-Fashion Frocks, Inc. Complex, a National Register of Historic Places
building. The museum expects to open its new home in 2012, and Tod Swormstedt has said that the new building will display about 500 signs on a faux streetscape in a town called "Signville".
Neonworks of Cincinnati moved its business into the museum's new location and will have a live exhibit showing visitors how they restore neon signs.
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, preserves, archives, and displays a collection of signs. The museum also displays the equipment utilized in the design and manufacture of signs. Tod Swormstedt began working on the museum in 1999. It opened to the public in 2005.
Background
Swormstedt's family owns the signage industry trade journal Signs of the Times, which has been published since 1906. Swormsedt's grandfather, H.C. Menefee, was the first editor of the publication, and purchased it for himself in 1911. Swormsedt had been working at the journal for over twenty years before becoming inspired to start a sign museum in 1999. His family provided $1 million for the project, and figures from the signage industry gave donations of their own. The museum was founded as a nonprofit corporation. Swormsedt considered building the museum in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, St. Louis, Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, and other sites, but eventually settled on Cincinnati, the base of operations for Signs of the Times.
Collection
Over 200 signs and other objects are on display at the museum, and over 3,800 items are cataloged. The collection ranges from the late nineteenth century to the 1970s. Highlights of the collection include samples of gold leafGold leaf
right|thumb|250px|[[Burnishing]] gold leaf with an [[agate]] stone tool, during the water gilding processGold leaf is gold that has been hammered into extremely thin sheets and is often used for gilding. Gold leaf is available in a wide variety of karats and shades...
lettering on glass, a Sputnik-like plastic orb from an Anaheim shopping center, a rotating neon windmill from a Denver donut shop, Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
showcards, and a fiberglass Frisch's Big Boy statue with a slingshot in his pocket. (The slingshot was omitted from later models of the Big Boy statue.) One can also find signs from businesses such as Big Bear Stores, Dog n' Suds, Howard Johnson's
Howard Johnson's
Howard Johnson's is a chain of hotels and restaurants, located primarily throughout the United States and Canada. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Howard Johnson's was the largest restaurant chain in the United States, with over 1,000 restaurants...
, and Earl Scheib
Earl Scheib
Earl Scheib was a company which specialized in repainting and collision repair of automobiles, with locations in 23 states in the US. It ceased operations nationwide on July 16, 2010.-Company history:...
. Outside near the museum's entrance, visitors are greeted by a 20 feet (6.1 m) fiberglass genie from a Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
carpet cleaning company.
In 2008, the museum acquired a single-arch 1963 McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
sign from Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....
. The sign features McDonald's Speedee character, who was phased out in favor of Ronald McDonald
Ronald McDonald
Ronald McDonald is a clown character used as the primary mascot of the McDonald's fast-food restaurant chain. In television commercials, the clown inhabits a fantasy world called McDonaldland, and has adventures with his friends Mayor McCheese, the Hamburglar, Grimace, Birdie the Early Bird, and...
in the 1960s. In 2009, the museum added a neon sign from Johnny’s Big Red Grill, once a popular restaurant among Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
students.
Future plans
Many signs owned by the museum are too large to fit the current exhibit space. To better accommodate the collection, the museum began purchasing a 42000 square feet (3,901.9 m²) property in Camp Washington, CincinnatiCamp Washington, Cincinnati
Camp Washington is a residential neighborhood located in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, home to the award-winning Cincinnati chili parlor, Camp Washington Chili...
in 2007. The new location is part of the Oesterlein Machine Company-Fashion Frocks, Inc. Complex, a National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
building. The museum expects to open its new home in 2012, and Tod Swormstedt has said that the new building will display about 500 signs on a faux streetscape in a town called "Signville".
Neonworks of Cincinnati moved its business into the museum's new location and will have a live exhibit showing visitors how they restore neon signs.