The Orpheum
As fate would have it, Sign Art Studio's President and Founder, Dan, stumbled upon an opportunity to work on the Orpheum project while collaborating with the city on another project.
Location: Madison, WI • Owners: Gus and Mary Paras • Designers: Sign Art Studio, Rapp & Rapp
During a conversation with city staff, Dan inquired about any updates on the Orpheum project, as he had heard rumors that the owners were looking to update the main projecting sign. It just so happened that the owners had recently inquired about their options at the zoning office.
Dan reached out to the generic email address for the Orpheum and within two days received a phone call from the owner, Gus Paras. Alongside Kirk Crawford, Sign Art Studio's Technical Director, Dan met with Gus on-site to assess the current status of the sign and determine what was possible.
After many discussions with the owner and the city, it was decided that a replica of the original sign from the early 20's would be approved. This presented a unique opportunity to create a sign that exceeded what the sign code allowed and to revitalize the State St and the city of Madison.
Dan meticulously researched historical photos of the original sign and used them to develop a design that was 100% accurate in both size and design. The team at Sign Art Studio drafted the design by hand, scanned the images for digital output, and fabricated the 10' wide by 55' tall signage in their old 1600sf shop.
The installation took place over two days. On day one, the team mounted the sign sections to the original steel frame, and on day two, they completed all of the wiring. The sign was officially lit for the first time in July of 2016 and has since become an iconic landmark in the city of Madison.
Sign Art Studio takes pride in the work they did on this project and the opportunity they had to revitalize an important part of the city's history.
Specs
10’ wide by 55’ tall hand fabricated aluminum cabinets
Formed aluminum open faced channel letters/border with marquee bulbs
NEW ORPHEUM light bulbs feature a “Speller” controller that allows several programs to run different flashing light options
Border elements feather a “four bulbs chaser” controller that allows for flashing programming with various speeds
