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Vacant (Sign moved to 2699 47th Avenue) -
810 10TH ST
 Print Listing
Historical Name -
Weld County Garage Sign
Style -
No Style - a sign
Built Year -
1949
State ID -
5WL2580
Description -
The 1949 neon sign and accompanying three-car brand wall sign is 12 feet high and 60 feet wide. It features a square italic font reading "Weld County Garage," a centered 1936 analog clock attached below, and the words "Since 1908" and "Complete Service," also attached below. The framework for the sign is constructed of sheet metal, steel and wood. All white letters are lit with medium white neon charged with argon gas. The blue trim neon is clear glass with natural argon gas, a rare color because it appears dull in cold weather. The red letters are clear glass with pure neon gas which burns orange-red.
The sign stopped working in 1973, probably after a hail storm. The sign was restored in 1996, prompted by its unique nature and large size. The sign was also restored in 2003, after it was moved, prior to being mounted in the current location at 2699 47th Avenue.
Historical Background -
The neon sign was made in 1949, at the end of the first era of neon sign construction in America and at the beginning of the plexiglass invasion of auto-dealership signage. Featuring a square italic font and a 1936 analog clock, the sign represents the rich history of this auto dealership, which sold its first car in 1910. The twelve-feet high, sixty-feet wide sign also represents the era when Americans fell in love with the automobile in the post-war boom of the 1950s. During this period, Greeley experienced unprecedented growth as new subdivisions, schools, churches, parks and shopping districts changed the city's character. The sign is located on the former "dizzy block" corner and played a visual role in the youth experience of cruising, rock 'n roll, and hot rods. (Taken from Historic Building Inventory Form for Weld County Garage Sign.)
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