Repainting of Historic Signs Marking New Rochelle's Borders, Including Those With Pelham, Temporarily Halted

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On Monday, November 14, 2005, I published to the Historic Pelham Blog a posting entitled "Historic Signs Mark Pelham's Border with New Rochelle". In it I described lovely historic signs commissioned by the New Rochelle Art Association during the 1920s that mark the boundaries of New Rochelle including those it shares with Pelham. Since that posting the signs have been removed as part of a program led by Ms. Mickie Fosina to restore the signs, to provide new signposts and to light the signs.

On June 3, 2006, however, The Journal News reported that work to restore the signs has been halted temporarily "over concerns by members of the arts and historical community that the livelier style and brighter colors being employed mar the signs' character". The temporary delay seems to be a minor issue and merely part of the difficult process of gaining the necessary consensus regarding such an admirable project.

After the signs were taken down for restoration, each reportedly was blasted with glass beads and coated using an electrolytic process to ensure a coating that will protect against further rust and deterioration. Artist Brec Morgan of Bridgeport, Connecticut has been working to repaint the signs. He and organizers of the project reportedly have indicated that the intent is to repaint the signs "with greater detail and more vivid colors [to] better reflect what was likely the original work."

Source: Valenti, Ken, Artistic License Suspended, The Journal News, Jun. 3, 2006, p. B1, col. 1.

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web Site
Located at http://www.historicpelham.com/.
Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.