Signs were a vital part of the appearance of downtowns from the 19th century to the mid-20th century. Still, your historic commercial builds might have historic signs attached to them. And the signs may even have an important part of your buildings, etched in the sheet metal or masonry.
Historic signs are usually part of the building’s heritage. So don’t alter or remove them. Instead, restore and preserve them. Even historic signs, which were put to your buildings later may still be vital when it comes to defining their characters. You may take several approaches to preserve historic signs or design new ones, which keep in with the historic characteristics of the buildings.
Retaining historic signs is also a great marketing strategy. You may retain the old value to appeal to the nostalgia of the public for the businesses, which used the buildings. In addition, old signs can give a sense of history as well as continuity to the past of your downtown.
It’s strongly advised to consult with a historical sign restoration company such as Signmakers if you’re considering this type of project.
Preservation and Restoration
Historically, buildings deserve to be protected and restored for many reasons, like their extreme age related to their high aesthetic/artistic value, geographical region where they exist, and unique traits, which may represent the school of design.
Old buildings may go through several facelifts, and the historically significant period for buildings might not be from the time they were constructed. Perhaps, it could be when those buildings were occupied by important historical occurrences or from the period when certain historical occurrences happened, such as signing treaties.
When it comes to historic preservation, one often maintains, stabilizes, and protects existing structures and materials of the place and, at the same time, preserves their value. Much of the original materials are often left in place, and repair and maintain surrounding components so as to match the existing ones.
But when it comes to historic restoration, one needs to perform the processes and actions required to reveal, recover, and restore the architectural fabric and design of that period and maintain its historic value.
Historic Signs and Their Early Civilization
The inception of signs dates back to Greek and Roman times developed from around 3,000 BC to 500 AD. At the time, historic signs were created using stones, terra cotta, leather, and wood. And then the details were displayed with images instead of text as people used to be illiterate.
In addition, sign designers used a special symbol for buildings, like taverns and shops. For luxurious organizations, like bathhouses, more costly materials, such as marble, copper, and marble were used to create signs.
During those times, nearly every organization and shop had outdoor advertisements. They were found in pristine conditions, especially in the ruins and cities.
Following the Dark Ages after the 12th century, rich merchants and craftsmen had their historic signs that used to come with symbols. Some had symbols that made them more noticeable. By the end of 18th century, historic signs were becoming heavy and bigger.
Signs Preservation and Restoration
Since 1990, historic signs were preserved and restored in a manner, which offers electrical efficiency and value. If you walked into several business establishments, you would encounter attractive and unique hand-painted historic signs.
Because technological advancements were limited in those old days, business owners had to rely on gifted artists with the skills to understand advertising and marketing concepts. However, over time that eventually became a lost art.
As a matter of fact, many historic signs in business establishments don’t provide those services these days. But some still know the significance of historic signs and advocate for preservation and restoration for business purposes.
Why Restore and Preserve
The community’s history contributes a lot to its good image and personality. Preserving the history of places through historic resources helps to give the community a unique personality.
Historic preservation and restoration also provide a link to the root of a particular community and the people living there. In general, historic preservation and restorations improve the quality of life, making the community more livable.
Historic preservation also entails more than just restoring and saving old sites and buildings of historic importance. This historic restoration and preservation are helpful in several ways, like the following:
- Educationally
- Environmentally
- Developmentally
- Socially
- Economically
- Culturally
The preservation and restoration of historic signs can as well be extensive. Although it might look daunting paying for the task to be carried out, all that amount will go back to the local economy. Historic preservation and restoration are among the efforts, which need the support of several industries, including graphic design, landscaping, project management, manufacturing, and construction.
Once the restoration and preservation of historic signs are done, opportunities will open up for new businesses and heritage tourism to stimulate and join the community. As a matter of fact, owners of non-chain or independent businesses usually look for older establishments so that their business brand may benefit from the homey and authentic atmosphere they develop.
In addition, historic preservation and restoration are great for the environment. Usually, constructing a new structure for businesses in the community needs new areas to develop and building materials. When historic signs and buildings are created into attractive and new ones to serve similar purposes, residents get a chance to progress and conserve natural resources.
How to Restore and Preserve
Before committing to saving historic signs, you must first get prepared. This is a lengthy project that involves long hours filled with numerous emails, phone calls, and meetings. Not to mention, it may cost you a lot of money and you might be unable to save signs from getting torn.
However, if you become successful, you would be giving historic signs new life and the gift of education, culture, and history to future generations. You will also preserve a connection to the past and improve the future of the building and town. To achieve this goal, you will need to do the following:
- Determine the importance of your historic signs
- Identify the icon of the signs
- Understand the cultural significance
Concluding Remarks!
Historic preservation and historic signs may add to the community’s understanding and pride in history. Therefore, it makes more sense for the whole community to encourage the restoration, rehabilitation, or preservation of historic components and features, such as signs.