On October 14, 2019, WHYY published this feature about the preservation of a neon monument.

This public art project was designed by Duane Linklater, an indigenous Canadian artist. It was temporarily installed in Penn Treaty Park in 2017 for Mural Art’s Monument Lab city-wide art event. Len Davidson and Cohen Metals fabricated the original monument and resurrected it in October 2019 at Penn Treaty Museum. The 20’ sculpture, “In Perpetuity,” uses ruby red neon to spell out a translated quote from Chief Tamanend at the treaty of William Penn and the Lenni-Lenape nation.

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https://whyy.org/articles/neon-monument-to-phillys-indigenous-history-glows-again-at-penn-treaty-park/

On November 2, 2019, this popular podcast site interviewed Len Davidson about the Museum.

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http://www.mondoneon.com/mondo-neon-podcast/len-davidson

On August 11, 2019, this local blog published a photo essay on the Museum’s move to NextFab.

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https://billypenn.com/2019/08/11/the-neon-museum-of-philadelphia-has-found-a-permanent-home/

Along with many positive developments of Fall 2019, was the initially sad news that the Trolley Car Diner in Philadelphia’s Mount Airy neighborhood closed after 19 years. The diner had become a neighborhood gathering spot and neon showplace. Mounted on a 42’ stainless backing, the sign’s neon wheels turned and a power line sparked while the traffic light was green. When the light turned red, the wheels stopped and doors opened, revealing driver and departing passenger.

But news is looking up: the present owner reported in late November 2019 that “the neon will be saved by the buyer of the property and reused on site, along with the 1952 Mountain View Diner.”

In October 2019, over 20 neon photographers gathered at the mid-century Caribbean Motel in Wildwood, NJ. These members of an Instagram group Sign Collective / Signs United combed the historic beach town, discovering dozens of ‘50s motels and historic neon pieces. Beth Lennon of Retro Roadmap organized the weekend, which included a presentation by Len Davidson on Philadelphia neon and the Museum’s upcoming move to NextFab. The group gobbled up copies of Len’s Vintage Neon as well as a large number of his neon postcards.

Every fall, Standard Tap, one of Philly’s favorite gastropubs, displays this piece in their front window. Since fabricating it, Len Davidson only gets to see the sausage man dance a few weeks each year. During the rest of the year he misses it and the animated weirdness it lends to the Northern Liberties neighborhood.

Bob Swartz was a businessman, historian, and expert photographer.  In 1952 he commissioned the 82” tall double sided camera to advertise his photo shop on Lancaster Avenue (the Lincoln Highway). It featured a four point animated aperture and was built by Kunda Signs, still active since 1946.

Shortly before Len Davidson bought the sign in 1998, Swartz reminisced about its history and difficulty in maintaining it: “The animation went into the center and back again. People used to love it. The only problem was the constant flashing off and on bothered the people who lived upstairs.

“A lot of the tubes were knocked out by Hurricane Hazel in 1956 and now it’s much too expensive to have it refurbished. Someone recently bought the property and may tear down the building anyway… The township doesn’t allow overhead signs like that anymore…”

The sign was restored and loaned to a friend’s photo studio in 2000 but it’s now back in the Museum, casting a mesmerizing glow as the camera aperture opens and closes.

One of the greatest ever made in Philly, the Boot and Saddle sign was created by Angelo Colavita and his brothers, Domenic and Anthony, for a bar owner with an affinity for Western garb. When Len Davidson researched the restoration, Angelo — an Italian immigrant with a 6th grade education — was in his 90s. He told Len he designed the sign on his kitchen table in South Philly.

Len subbed out the fabrication work to Urban Neon who did a beautiful job. The Boot’s out-of-scale components and almost cubist details (part of the boot’s front is depicted in side view), make this 20’ tall sign a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.

After the 1939 World’s Fair in New York City, four of these 6’ diameter clocks were placed above Philadelphia jewelry stores. Three were intact when Len Davidson returned to Philly in 1979; one disappeared from 11th and Market and a Lancaster Avenue model was scooped up by a collector. That left one unassailable-looking clock at Broad and Germantown that Len had eyed for years.

Then, in 2014, Len received a surprise call from Bob Beaty, an architectural salvager and friend. Bob had hired a skilled rigger to attempt the clock removal and the clock was down! It was beat up after 75 years overlooking Philly’s busiest street but Len jumped at the chance to own it.

Alden Cole, a skilled painter and fellow Dumpster Diver, was hired to strip the finish and repaint the clock, while Len went to work on the clock mechanism, neon, and transformers. To his surprise, most of the original tubes still lit.
The restored Bulova clock is one of the gems of the Museum’s collection.

In 2016, Drexel took over a vacant Firestone store at 32nd and Market Streets with thoughts of developing the property into a student center. They contacted Len Davidson about putting a single sign in a window to give life to the vacant building. A broader plan was developed and in spring 2017 an exhibit called See the Light was opened with technical assistance from Jeremy Tenenbaum at VSBA Architects & Planners.

After landscaping and tables were added to the adjacent parking lot, the neon display became a campus hangout. It has served as backdrop for photo shoots and been featured on TV and the city’s promotional newscasts. Local and national organizations have visited the site including the Society for Commercial Archaeology and the Rust Belt Coalition of Young Preservationists.

The exhibit now serves as a campus landmark and gateway to West Philadelphia. It has been expanded yearly. In September 2019, this free show of 30+ neon pieces was renewed for another year.

PRESS

“Philadelphia Inquirer: Neon Museum ‘See The Light’ show opens at Drexel University”

“See The Light” Press Release
[link locally, not on Davidson Neon]

“Drexel News Blog: Vintage Neon Signs Light Up At Drexel”