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Victory Sign repairs historic Auburn, NY sign

By Anthony DePerno

Anthony DePerno is the general manager of Victory Sign (Canastota, NY).

Founded in 1878, Genesee brews beer and cream ales well known through the Northeast and beyond. Since 1952, the Genesee brand (which is now owned by North American Breweries, the largest independent beer company in the U.S.) has been proudly advertised by a rooftop sign in Auburn, NY, where the brewery is located. The sign was installed atop the Auburn Music Center, which later became Speno Music, at 3 E. Genesee St.

However, for more than 30 years, the sign’s neon tubing remained dark. The upkeep for repairs became too expensive, although Genesee continued to pay the sign’s annual rent – $1,500 and a monthly case of Genny Cream Ale to Nicholas Speno Jr., the late former owner of Speno Music. Approximately three years ago, as the economy tumbled and Genesee’s ownership changed hands, the sign’s existence was threatened. Those now in the charge of the legendary brand weren’t initially interested in paying the sign’s rent and didn’t object to the sign’s removal.

However, Speno, who passed away last year, and his son, Mike, didn’t want the sign to disappear into memory. They enlisted the Auburn Business Improvement District to distribute information about the sign, which included old news clippings, videotaped testim-onials from locals about the sign’s importance, and related promotional materials. Overwhelming response compelled North American Breweries’ management to not only retain the sign, but to subsidize a $60,000 renovation to illuminate the sign.

We were honored to participate in preserving a vital part of local history. Here’s how we did it.

A new spin on retro
We sent our bid for the project to Mower and Assoc., a marketing and public-relations firm with four offices in upstate New York that North American Breweries retained to execute the project. I believe we got the job because our solution – 380 linear ft. of LED border tubing – most closely approximated the original sign. Others proposed removing the old letters and installing standard, backlit channel letters. We believed this wouldn’t do justice to the legendary sign. It was, however, a first for us. We’ve completed plenty of LED retrofits, but this was our first execution of a sign illuminated with flexible, LED-lit tubing.