I loved that Coca-Cola sign! It sure was a sad day when it came down. I agree with everyone that it should remain in Florence and in the downtown area. It's too bad that a heavy-duty billboard type structure couldn't be built to support it and the WOWL sign, at the entrance to Florence when you come off O'Neal Bridge, with a "Welcome to Florence, Alabama" sign under them both.
I may be wrong here because I'm no longer involved in the outdoor ad biz, but I believe the City of Florence has restrictions on large flashing neon signs...
quote:Originally posted by lawguy07:
Oh, I see. I wasn't aware they still had a facility here. Thanks for the info.
Yes, lawguy, that's whom I had contacted. I did not know at the time that there had been problems with the city of Florence. I thought my inability to get through to someone who actually knew something about the situation lay with bureaucracy.
quote:Originally posted by RoadHawg:
I may be wrong here because I'm no longer involved in the outdoor ad biz, but I believe the City of Florence has restrictions on large flashing neon signs...
If the sign had remained in place, it would have continued to be grandfathered in. Still, new location or no, it is a landmark and all it takes is a stroke of the City Council's pen to make it legal anywhere it's erected.
Hey FV...sent you a message. Hope it helps!
quote:Originally posted by bubbaluck:
I suspect it is just another cool sign to the Coca-Cola people as far as Atlanta goes. It has local application and local interest and is a part of our local history. Has there been a real effort to get it our and displayed. Suggestions like the children's museum and diebert park are not really feasible. It needs to be seen in the appropriate setting - visible to urban traffic.
.
.
Urban traffic??? Oh, you mean the county folks that all come to town on Saturday. Okay.
.
.
quote:Originally posted by JJPAUL:
Why not return the sign to it's true home. The Coca-Cola Company has a Coca-Cola Museum in Atlanta, Georgia. You have two options. You could sell the sign back to them or donate the sign with the agreement that it mentions that this sign was origionally mounted to the Coca-Cola building in Florence, Alabama, or something similiar or however you wish to have it to read. Just a thought.
.
.
Exactly what I suggested in my previous post. And in fact, the more i think about it, the better the idea. You've got to consider the number of people that will see it here vs. the number in Atlanta. MILLIONS of people will see it there as opposed to thousands here.
If not the Coca-cola Museum, what about the Smithsonian??? That would be quite an honor for this area. I know they would do it right and guarantee it's preservation for generations to come. If this project is privately funded and those funds run out, it will be tossed and neglected and no one will enjoy it in the future.
I think it's time to lay our local egos aside for the greater good.
Why not have a smaller replica made for this area that will meet sign regulations??? Put it up alongside the owl sign. Roadhawg was correct when he stated that the coke sign would not met the new sign laws for this area.
.
.
It's been over two years since we discussed it. I know Falcon1234 has much info on this:
http://www.theconnectionnortha...ews.php?viewStory=36
I would love to see it here and not Atlanta, but anywhere it could be maintained would be good.
http://www.theconnectionnortha...ews.php?viewStory=36
I would love to see it here and not Atlanta, but anywhere it could be maintained would be good.
I happen to know a good bit about this. When Coca-Cola decided to relocate in 1999, the Mayor and the District Two councilman were approached about relocating the sign somewhere along Mitchell Boulevard and Coca-Cola offered to pay for the full cost of the move (which was over $100,000), and to pay for maintenance and utilities on the sign in perpetuity. They were immediately rebuffed even though the sign was on the state register and was truly a landmark in the Shoals.
The sign does not, and has never been, owned by Coca-Cola. Believe it or not, it was rented from Columbia Neon for all those years. Since that company no longer exists, I assume that ownership of the sign went with the building, which was purchased by Jimmy Neese. I can assure you that Coca-Cola will not spend a dime on any effort at this point to re-erect the sign. The city blew that chance when they had it.
As an aside, the signs (there were two -- one facing north, the other south) were erected in 1948. When I did the paperwork to attain historical status, which was in the mid-1980's, the sign was one of two such neon displays extant.
I believe that I still have somewhere the original paperwork that was required for the historical designation. I learned all kinds of interesting things.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I sadly believe that this is a lost cause now.
The sign does not, and has never been, owned by Coca-Cola. Believe it or not, it was rented from Columbia Neon for all those years. Since that company no longer exists, I assume that ownership of the sign went with the building, which was purchased by Jimmy Neese. I can assure you that Coca-Cola will not spend a dime on any effort at this point to re-erect the sign. The city blew that chance when they had it.
As an aside, the signs (there were two -- one facing north, the other south) were erected in 1948. When I did the paperwork to attain historical status, which was in the mid-1980's, the sign was one of two such neon displays extant.
I believe that I still have somewhere the original paperwork that was required for the historical designation. I learned all kinds of interesting things.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I sadly believe that this is a lost cause now.
100 grand to move a freakin' sign? I'm apparently in the wrong business. No offense to those putting effort into preserving historical items. I personally liked the sign--but that's a ridiculous chunk of change to move a sign.
quote:Originally posted by lawguy07:
100 grand to move a freakin' sign? I'm apparently in the wrong business. No offense to those putting effort into preserving historical items. I personally liked the sign--but that's a ridiculous chunk of change to move a sign.
That involved completely dismantling the signs and replacing them in like-new fashion.
Still a lot of money. I guess it was a pretty tall order.
What would really be nice is if we had a very rich person in florence that would build a 60's style building and serve hamburgers, hot dogs, ham sandwiches, play old songs and so on that did not expect to make a profit, use it as tax write off, use it like Harvey Robbins does in Tuscumbia with his ice cream parlor. The location may have to be somewhere like 72 coming into florence. As time goes by less & less people will use O'neal bridge. The ownership or rental and up keep of the sign would have to be worked out.
quote:Originally posted by jmmgj5:
What would really be nice is if we had a very rich person in florence that would build a 60's style building and serve hamburgers, hot dogs, ham sandwiches, play old songs and so on that did not expect to make a profit, use it as tax write off, use it like Harvey Robbins does in Tuscumbia with his ice cream parlor. The location may have to be somewhere like 72 coming into florence. As time goes by less & less people will use O'neal bridge. The ownership or rental and up keep of the sign would have to be worked out.
Interesting thought, especially that next-to-last sentence. I had posted in this thread a couple of years under my original name, whose email address and thus password were both lost forever. Remember when East Florence was going to be the Next Big Thing in the city? If someone were to build a concept restaurant like this, it would be interesting to put it on some of the available land down there. It's the new "gateway" to Florence, and perhaps the next best thing to putting the sign downtown.
I really do think you have a good idea there. Maybe expand it to include the ubiquitous Live Music and it could have a chance. Unfortunately there's nobody in Florence creative enough to try something like that.
Otherwise, I do wish the sign could find a home again downtown, but I doubt it will ever happen.
The home of that sign is FLORENCE ALABAMA.....I've collected Coke stuff since I was a kid and I think sending it to Atlanta is a bad idea.........while we were doing that maybe we could send W.C.Handy's birth cabin over to Memphis, as a member of the Blues Foundation I helped move his Memphis home to Beale Street and as long as we've got the truck here we could take Ivy Green somewhere more people could see it!!!!!!! Let's haul Pope's Tavern out to the mall parking lot, plenty of folks there!!quote:Originally posted by JJPAUL:
Why not return the sign to it's true home. The Coca-Cola Company has a Coca-Cola Museum in Atlanta, Georgia. You have two options. You could sell the sign back to them or donate the sign with the agreement that it mentions that this sign was origionally mounted to the Coca-Cola building in Florence, Alabama, or something similiar or however you wish to have it to read. Just a thought.
I may be wrong about this but didn’t the original sign ordinance declare the sign ‘in violation’?
Possibly because it ‘blinked on and off’?
I notice we have several ‘blinking’ signs in the city now.
Perhaps the city building department should be held liable, charged with criminal insensitivity, pilloried , yoked, whipped dragging the sign on a sled to the summit of the Indian Mound, mount it on a pole of some height above the tree tops, run power to it and bear the cost.
Possibly because it ‘blinked on and off’?
I notice we have several ‘blinking’ signs in the city now.
Perhaps the city building department should be held liable, charged with criminal insensitivity, pilloried , yoked, whipped dragging the sign on a sled to the summit of the Indian Mound, mount it on a pole of some height above the tree tops, run power to it and bear the cost.
I loved those signs and remember them very vividly in my memory. All I knew is that they disappeared when the Coca-Cola plant moved.
E.Z. Maybe all this moving could be done on the day which is officially designated Halloween whether it is Oct. 31 or not (as has been suggested by some).LOL!
i would like to see it happen. remember seeing in the 50's. if the owls eye was red there had been a fatility in area. is that right? remember it when i came home from military. it is a historical sign. i would like to see it on top of comcast building. i will support your efforts in trying to achieve this. keep up the good work.
Just curious - I know the sign is nostalgic, but why should we advertise for Coca-Cola for free?! I do wish they would bring the Owl sign back though. Didn't it display red eyes if there had been a traffic accident and green eyes if there had not been? These days, the eyes would stay red all the time!
quote:Originally posted by buffalo:
I may be wrong about this but didn’t the original sign ordinance declare the sign ‘in violation’?
Possibly because it ‘blinked on and off’?
I notice we have several ‘blinking’ signs in the city now.
Perhaps the city building department should be held liable, charged with criminal insensitivity, pilloried , yoked, whipped dragging the sign on a sled to the summit of the Indian Mound, mount it on a pole of some height above the tree tops, run power to it and bear the cost.
The sign ordinance was the reason it was granted protection by the Alabama Historical Commission. That action made it immune from any city ordinance.
When was the OWL sign removed? I remember it too but very vaguely.
quote:Originally posted by dark dreamer:
When was the OWL sign removed? I remember it too but very vaguely.
Not totally sure. Here's some info:
OWL Part 1
OWL Part 2
quote:Originally posted by FirenzeVeritas:quote:Originally posted by dark dreamer:
When was the OWL sign removed? I remember it too but very vaguely.
Not totally sure. Here's some info:
OWL Part 1
OWL Part 2
Thanks for the links.