Paul Signs Inc. received a call around 5:30 on a rainy and windy Thursday. A local business in Fort Greene, had their vintage 800 pound sign hanging by one of the two supports. The sign was mounted right above the entrance, so it was a dangerous situation. Within 20 minutes, we arrived on site, welcomed by both FDNY trucks and NYPD vehicles. They had cautioned off the area, and were relieved when we showed up.
We brought a heavy duty crane to do the actual removal, but in order to get the sign in a safe position, we also brought a service truck for support. The support truck helped guide the sign down, after attaching the lifting straps to the sign.
The sign is thought to be from the 1940’s, from the porcelain enamel faces and neon fixtures. The internal structure, the skeleton, was rusted and the reason it fell was due to the heavy rusting. The brackets used to hang the sign was an outdated design, along with the age with rust and swaying in the wind, the bracket wore away to a thin metal piece that just snapped. The vintage sign is awaiting a refurbish in order to clear it for permits and make it safe for years to come.
