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Famous Santa Fe sign in downtown Chicago may soon be history
Wouldn’t that make the Santa Fe sign a national historical landmark?
Wouldn’t that make the Santa Fe a national historical landmark?
Hate to see it go a great landmark, maybe the Illinois
Railway Museum could save the sign like the one that used to be in front of the EMD plant in LaGrange.
It would certainly be nice if they could save that sign somehow, and send it perhaps to the Illinois Railway museum or Science and Industry? Thanks.
One floor lease gets you a new sign? Progress.
well, there still a Santa Fe sign in Amarillo, Texas. I hope it remains for awhile longer and doesnt suffer the same fate.
I worked at Motorola. I love ATSF. This building is the RAILWAY Exchange building. Motorola has no history in the city since it was Galvin Manufacturing in the 1940s. The sign must stay and with it the heritage and memory of Santa Fe. Daniel Burnham had his office in this building and the thought of a bat M plus Mot is ugly at best. With the Google purchase inevitable of MMI this is about Google and California and nothing about Chicago. Nothing. Chicagoan.
Soldier Field has been modified by the "flying saucer"seating addition severral year ago. Wrigley Field faces constant battles against “improvements”…How can we forget the LIGHTS! The Chicago ArchitectureAssociation has its offices also in the Rwy Exchange Bldg. Do they have any clout?
Since Santa Fe is part of BNSF and as such the sign language is likely copyrighted, I don’t believe there is the legal ability to preserve the sign its current state by mandating the lettering stay put. I’m pissed at Motorola for doing this, but they have the right to do so under the current landmarks division ordinances. At least they are bringing jobs downtown though.
I have never seen this sign, but what a shame it is not being saved. Kansas City kept their Western Auto sign and it truly is the highlight of that city at night. Here in Los Angeles, several old signs from long-gone businesses have been restored and relit. One is for an old bowling alley. They give color and light to otherwise dark and dismal rooftops. All it takes is an outpouring of public support and of course, money.
Leasing one floor does not constitute losing this landmark.
Save the “Santa Fe” sign. KC still has that big “Western Auto” sign.
In Boston we’ve saved our Citgo sign, a key feature of the night skyline near Kenmore Square and Fenway Park.
@Maxwell: There is a precedent. A 3-floor lease got Willis Insurance the naming rights to the former Sears Tower in Chicago.
I used to work for the Santa Fe and spent one year in the Railway Exchange building. While I know change has to happen, taking away a sign that has been Chicago for a long time for Motorola is just yet another win for Madison Avenue wanting to get its message in front of us. they have changed the name of almost everything, with the exception of Wrigley Field, to the name of some faceless corporation. why not change the name of Chicago to Boeing?
They should keep the Santa Fe sign; it’s part of the historic face of Michigan Avenue. We did the same in Toronto; when Fairmont bought the Canadian Pacific Royal York Hotel, a landmark since the late 1920’s, they wanted to remove the neon sign that had been there for decades and substitute their own name. The City ordered them to keep the “Royal York” name as is and put their own name, if at all, in small signage. Works for me.
The “Santa Fe” neon sign located on the former Fort Worth Division Engineer’s building is still in place in Cowtown - even though the building was sold to a private owner and has been leased to the University of Texas-Arlington. “Progress” in Chi-town?!
donate that sign to science and industry. save chicago history
If it must go, either Union Il or museum of science.