For the full story on the Mercury Cleaners sign renovation, read Joan Cusick’s story on the project here.
Since 1947, the Mercury Cleaners sign has been a beacon in Midtown Sacramento. But in early 2014, the sign’s fate seemed uncertain. The building at 1419 16th Street was scheduled for demolition, making way for environmental cleanup of the site.
On September 25, 2015, CADA brought in a crew from Pacific Neon to remove and renovate the vintage neon sign.
Pacific Neon workers first removed the flashing yellow arrow, with the wings of Mercury.
The metal canopy was the final piece to be removed and readied for transport.
The sign had been powered by knob-and-tube transformers, circa 1947, when original owners Casper, Matt and Charlie Kolb bought the building at 1419 16th Street.
Over the years, many neon tubes had been broken and the sign had not been fully illuminated in years. But all that was about to change.
At the Pacific Neon shop, the Mercury Cleaners sign would undergo a complete renovation.
The canopy was stripped to bare metal, revealing holes that rust spots that would be filled before new paint could be applied.
Neon bender Steve Uroff shaped new glass tubes and filled them with argon, which glows red.
Pacific Neon electricians Eloy Duarte (left) and Sergio Romero rewired the arrow, adding bulbs to both sides of the sign.
Later, the electricians tested the new lights on the canopy.
On June 22, 2015 – nearly nine months after the sign was removed – it returned to 16th Street.
The same crew from Pacific Neon rehung the sign in its new home on the Legado de Ravel building.
On the second day, the flashing yellow arrow was lifted into place, with a new support structure to attach it to the metal canopy.
On Friday, June 26, CADA Deputy Executive Director Mac de la Vergne stood at the former site of the cleaners and led a neighborhood countdown to the relighting of the sign.
Antique cars from the 1940s framed the sign as it was lit for the first time in years. Once again, Mercury Cleaners is a beacon on 16th Street.