New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
City officials announced today they will take down a neon sign of Paul Revere on horseback that is visible from I-195 in New Bedford to prevent irreparable damage to the structure and for safety reasons.
In its current unstable state, the sign poses a public safety hazard and its present location has complicated efforts to conduct regular maintenance. The City of New Bedford will store the sign and message board while officials work to engage the community in a dialogue around its restoration and relocation.
The 60-foot sign once sat atop the Revere Copper and Brass factory on North Front Street. A demolition company hired to remove the sign from the factory’s rooftop decided against scrapping it and donated it to the restoration effort. In a team effort, WHALE, Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School and the City of New Bedford restored the sign in 1998. New Bedford businesses Beaumont Signs and Poyant Signs also contributed in-kind services to the restoration.
Estimates to fully restore the sign now range between $250,000 and $300,000. The City is committed to working with the community to both examine all possible funding opportunities and to identify a new location for the sign.
“We realize the Paul Revere Sign is treasured by the community and that is why we simply cannot risk the possibility of it falling off of its post or deteriorating beyond repair. The City will store the sign safely until it can be repaired and we will actively seek the public’s support and input regarding its restoration and relocation,” said Ken Blanchard, Acting Commissioner of the Department of Public Facilities.
Seems like a worthy Kickstarter campaign to me.
So much effort went into restoring that landmark . It is shameful that no on picked up the mantle and kept it viable.
I wish my hometown would stop look backward and look forward. NB is far more than this sign. To new ideas, new chapters, new initiatives.
Store it at Voke and let the kids work on restoring the sign again as a project. That should help cost and teach the kids not only their trade but also the value in historic restoration and pride. The sign has always been welcoming and unique to our city. So, where ever it’s put , it should be as at a gateway invitational location to our beautiful historical downtown. I’ve always loved its location. Hopefully, the next will be somewhere close.
I agree with Amy’s comment. Store it at Voke and let the kids restore it. It will be saving on the cost and teaching them the value of historic pride in their city. I also agree that it should be at a gateway invitational location to historical downtown. My mother in law always loved that sign. She has passed on and would be devastated if she knew it was being taken down, I think the location it was in was so perfect because it led you into the city and had a wonderful historical significance.
Paul Revere restoration
SO SAD!!! WHEN A KID AND WHEN COMING HOME FROM THE MILITARY ON LEAVE I LOOKED FORWARD TO SEEING THAT SIGN!!! MY KID LOOKED FOR THAT SIGN!!! THAT SIGN WAS LIKE THE BIG BLUE BUG IN RHODE ISLAND OR THE ROCK IN PLYMOUTH… SUCH A SHAME!!! PLEASE, IT COULD HAVE BEEN RESTORED/MADE BETTER, BUT LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE PEOPLE DON’T CARE ABOUT THOSE THINGS ANYMORE…ONLY HOW TO PUT MORE MONEY INTO THEIR POCKETS 🙁
I hope this sign will be restored, and agree Voke could provide a valuable lesson in how to restore historical items and help students embrace the importance of historical ‘momentos by developing a sense of pride and ownership in protecting New Bedford’s past. I agree, this sign is as significant and loved as much as The big blue bug” in RI so it should be placed in a very visible spot to anyone entering New Bedford. I loved where it was, perhaps it could be placed alongside the highway again in a more accessible location – one of the unused billboards on Route 140. We’ve already lost the Lincoln Park Carousel and the Morgan, we can’t lose this too.
FUNDRAISING!!!
Let’s get on with the project of restoring the sign!
The suggestion re: Voke seems like a good idea. They do great work there.Let’s keep the sign and ask them to restore it.
We now live in FL but enjoyed seeing the sign as we got close to home. What a shame!!!
Restore the sign. It was a land mark back in the day at the Revere plant.
We have to put it back as a welcome to our great city.
RESTORE! Between the internet and creative fundraising plans, this sign should be restored and placed in a prominent place for all to see and enjoy. In Winchendon, MA, there used to be the famous Toy Town Tavern. It proudly displayed an enormous wooden rocking horse, near the golf course. Later, this icon of Winchedon was restored and moved to its own prominent spot in town, where travelers from far and wide can still enjoy it. Don’t allow the millenials to take this New Bedford icon away. They only think about themselves. Keep the faith and start a “Paul Revere Sign” fund. You’ll be surprised and pleased how fast the money flows in. Great idea to have the students @ Voke to get in on what matters in life, besides cell phones. Go New Bedford!
Restoration by NB Voke is certainly the best idea. It’s a win, win situation. Voke students gaining skills and the city and all Paul Revere fans would be proud to see him ride again.