Outdoor advertisements that have been allowed to fade are commonly referred to as ghost signs. The term carries with it more or less specific qualities, but in general they are hand painted and were made in the first half of the 20th century and earlier before most cities started heavily regulating the outdoor advertising industry.
They are an important representation of the commercial graphic arts of the time and even though they have become obsolete they survive as reminders to what once was. They speak to the social, economic and physical character of the past and the time that has passed. Viewing them in their contemporary context often provides an interesting juxtaposition.
Cincinnati and OTR in particular is filled with these. While they may be interesting from a visual perspective alone, they are also significant contributors to the historic character of a place. There patina cannot be emulated. Only time can create the story that they tell, the sense that they give us.
While hand painted signage is still created in OTR and other neighborhoods there is a significant difference in the scale, placement, quality and techniques of ghost signs. I am a fan of both old and new, but want to see more efforts to identify exceptional examples that may merit some degree of preservation effort.
along McMicken in OTR
6 Comments
02/24/2008 at 6:54 pm
I love these remnants too and think that there should be just as much attention paid to them by preservationists as the buildings themselves.
02/25/2008 at 9:07 am
I’m curious: can you reference a precedent for preserving ghost signs? Or are you simply wishing for this to happen? How would the sign be identified and evaluated to determine its merit, and who might work to preserve it?
The closest example I can think of is the Citgo sign in Boston which, as a free-standing structure, doesn’t really have much in common with a ghost sign. Its maintenance seems to be Citgo’s responsibility and, while the sign has never achieved official landmark status, it has been treated as a de facto landmark.
So, I’m just curious as to how, or whether, ghost signs might be preserved.
02/25/2008 at 12:50 pm
From what I can find there is very little precedent for preserving them, but it seems to be more of a consideration than I initially thought.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation has a little information on it.
1
2
In general I would say that it would work similar to the preservation of buildings with a few differing considerations, similar to those mentioned in the links above.
First, there would need to be some criteria based on what the qualities are that contribute to the character of a district of as a singular landmark.
Criteria could be the general aesthetic contribution, uniqueness of craft, scale, placement, product, etc… If signs were identified that meet these criteria they would be listed on a sign index. Property owners would not be allowed to alter the sign unless there was a legitimate reason and each case would be determined as applied.
In terms of how they are preserved, I don’t think it would be important to repaint them as some of the literature suggest. Instead, I would suggest developing a protective coating, or to allow it to continue to fade as it has.
There may not be a lot of precedent when it comes to the signs themselves, but I think it could be treated very similar to architectural preservation, at least in terms of basis for preservation, the logistics and even the legal aspects.
I think that preservation should focus more on these types of elements that contribute to the character of districts whether it be signs, steps, infrastructure and other accessories to urban design and architecture.
02/26/2008 at 9:53 pm
Those articles were illuminating.
You had mentioned before that it would be cool if the Sign Museum were to move to OTR instead of Camp Washington, and I have to agree. In my alternate universe, Tod Swormstedt would also become involved with identification and preservation of these ghost signs. The Sign Museum, Cincinnati Preservation Association, and the local AIGA chapter would organize walking tours, like the Architrecks tours of OTR, focusing on the commercial history of the area. After the tour we’d all have lunch at Tucker’s, where we’d eat Cincinnati chili made with alphabet soup. And, you and I would design the coffeetable book documenting the signs.
02/26/2008 at 10:18 pm
I am sure at least one of these can become reality.
03/07/2008 at 7:12 pm
BTW, that last sign is “famous”:
http://quotation-marks.blogspot.com/2007/06/so-do-we.html