| 9/8/2025 | 0 |
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
| ADOPTED
Minutes note: Mr. Andrew Stern said this was reviewed at the June HPC meeting and there are now images of the sign in the file. The neon lighting was probably added in the 1920s. The small T in the image was the mock-up that was taken. The profile of the mock-up has rounded corners, which might be the result of its being a 1/3 scale model. Staff feels that this is an iconic sign and recommends denial to retain its historic features.
Michael Kelly - Chair of the NID - still would like to use LED lighting as this is the only option they've found to have this sign lit 24 hours, 365 days. The letters get tripped multiple times a month. The sign professional said there is no way to keep water and condensation out 100%, which trips the letters. Other formerly neon signs across the country are being fit with LED to ensure they are lit.
Ms. Keating Kahn thought it was very close compared to the neon. She doesn't see it as being offensive.
It costs about $4,000 when a letter fails and the process takes about a month. For daily nuisance of things tripping, which occurs at least twice a month, that is done by staff. It does have to dry out, which takes time as well. They do care about the sign and are not coming at this willy nilly, per Mr. Kelly.
Ms. Pieper Eisenbrown said that there are no requirements that this be lit. Mr. Jarosz said that he doubts he'll be able to tell the difference once it is up. He thinks the color is pretty close and the roundness will disappear once it's bigger.
Mr. Kelly said they spent about a half-hour trying to match the color as much as possible. As the electrical codes have changed, they have made the neon sign reliability worse.
Jeremy Ebersole - former director of the Milwaukee Preservation Alliance - he is an expert on neon signs and did his thesis on them. He objects to the application.
Grant due to substantial inaccessiblity and for the approved color formula.
| Pass | 4:1 |
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| 8/4/2025 | 0 |
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
| HELD IN COMMITTEE
Minutes note: Applicant is not ready to present. | Pass | 7:0 |
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| 7/7/2025 | 0 |
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
| HELD IN COMMITTEE
Minutes note: Held until Aug. 4th. | Pass | 6:0 |
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| 6/2/2025 | 0 |
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
| HELD IN COMMITTEE
Minutes note: Mr. Andrew Stern said that the historic Pabst sign that hangs over Juneau Ave. has hung since at least the 1870s with the current brewer. The neon lighting was probably added in the 1920s or 1930s. Both the sign and bridge are contributing factors for the historic designation. The applicants want to re-paint the letters with the same colors, which staff does not object to, but they are also proposing to replace the neon lighting with a LED rope light. The rope lighting will have a different controller and will be of a slightly different shade of red/orange. This sign is one of the last remaining examples of neon lighting in the city. Staff recommends approval of the painting and denial of the replacement of the neon lighting and to merely update the electrical components.
Michael Kelly - Chairman of the NID board - the NID owns the sign, but not the buildings it is connected to (the NID has easements to maintain the sign). Any rain or snow that gets into the transformers causes a letter to go out. They cannot find any existing transformers and have to find new ones. It's about 80 feet in the air and a crane or lift is needed, so repairs take about a month to restore a letter. Milwaukee Public Market transitioned from a neon sign to an LED sign, as have other signs across the country that were experiencing the same problems.
Don Neumereer - Sign Effectz - the LED lights do have a neon-like effect and he doesn't describe them as "rope-like". They also uses less power than neon. The water is getting in the connections between the glass (which gets cracked by hail) and it doesn't take much to take neon out. The new transformers have been tripping, as they're designed to do. There are very few neon vendors in Milwaukee; he is aware of one who works part-time and neon doesn't ship well.
Mr. Jarosz would like to see how much the light color would differ and a mock-up of what the LED lights would look like at night.
Mr. Jarosz moved, seconded by Ms. Peltz, for approval of the re-painting of the letters and hold the conversion to LED lighting. | Pass | 6:0 |
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