Cincinnati Gardens - Letters Signage

Object/Artifact

-

American Sign Museum

Name/Title

Cincinnati Gardens - Letters Signage

Entry/Object ID

2020.0012.0001

Description

‘Cincinnati Sign Garden’ is composed of reverse channel porcelain enamel letters of the famed Cincinnati Gardens arena. The signage had hung above the arena’s main entrance since about the early 1960s. The letters were likely fabricated by the former Barrow Porcelain Enamel Company, which was located a few blocks from the Gardens. The company specialized in porcelain enamel, a very durable finish that is basically a layer of colored glass melted and fused or “fired” onto a metal background. Opened in 1949, the venue once hosted many sporting events and concerts—it was even one of the first American venues to welcome the Beatles! After closing in 2016, the arena’s scheduled demolition led to a call for preserving the signage. The Museum was able to acquire the letters in 2017 and arranged with Klusty Sign Associates of Cincinnati to rework the “S” and add the script “ign” to create the perfect title for this display.

Collection

Permanent Collection

Category

z_New Category Needed (Re-sort), Signs/Displays

Made/Created

Time Period

1960 - 1969

Place

City

Cincinnati

State

Ohio

Dimensions

Height

5 ft

Material

Porcelain enamel

Location

Category

Exhibit

Condition

Overall Condition

Very Good