Historic Preservation Commission Agenda and Packet 2017 11 20

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Historic Preservation Commission Meeting Minutes October 16, 2017 Page 5 of 10 Haley asked for additional questions for staff. Seeing none, she asked for the applicant presentation. Greg Maring, owner of the building, 537 Augusta Lane, Louisville, stated that he and his business partner wanted to continue the legacy of the Blue Parrot by offering a place for families and by refurbishing its legacy. He stated that the sign is an iconic piece of the town in form and location. Mark Oberholzer, 224 Hoover Avenue, Louisville, stated that they wanted to keep the sign, preserve the building, and maintain the history of the location. William Hayes, CEO of Signdealz in Denver, presented the proposal for the new sign and stated that his company had done several restorations of neon signs from the 1950s. For example Signdealz did the Holiday drive-in in Boulder, which shows the kind of marquee bulbs that would be featured in the "C" on the proposed sign. He presented other examples of signs his company had designed and implemented throughout the Denver Metro area. Ulm asked if the "C" logo was part of the branding for the building. Maring stated that "the Corner" did not refer to a specific entity in the building, but would be the branding of the building. Ulm stated that his concern about the sign was that the graphic design made it look too new. He suggested taking more cues from the original sign, as some people might not recognize it as the same sign. Otherwise, he liked the project. Maring described their graphic design choices, stating that the "C" and the color scheme were important to them both as a restoration of the historical color scheme and as a nod to Colorado itself. Haley asked if the neon tubing would make the sign look more authentic than it looked in the presentation. Ulm stated that the sign looked like new branding, which fit with the applicant's interests, but that there could be a middle ground. Hayes responded that it is hard to balance the historic nature, the rebranding, and the strong elements of the structure so that it would look like a newer sign without looking like a new sign. He added that the sign would be the same structurally and the skin of the sign would be the same, but repainted. All the internal components of the sign will be upgraded. Oberholzer stated that the current proposed design was the compromise between the old and the new. Fahey stated that what the sign says was not as important as the size and shape of the sign. She liked that it brought in the Colorado flag and that the important features of the sign stayed the same in the proposal. Ulm agreed with Fahey but restated his position on the newness of the graphics.