PHOTOS + VIDEO: Watch the Frontier House get a new sign

By Joshua Maloni

GM/Managing Editor

On Friday morning, Ulrich Sign Co. removed the Frontier House sign Lewiston residents have known and stared at since 1964. The black-letter-on-white-background metal marker was taken down – it was gifted to the Historical Association of Lewiston and Lewiston Museum – and a new sign, reading “Frontier House.” was installed. This billboard more closely resembles the original sign placed on the building in 1824 – with white letters on a black background – and, yes, the period, too.

WATCH:

Ulrich Sign employees Shayne Pohlman and Steve Brown arrived outside the 201-year-old village landmark, at 460 Center St., around 8 a.m. They immediately began measuring the old and new signs, the installation points, and double-checking the removal/replacement process. The old sign, which is believed to be the Frontier House’s third, began its descent about 8:45 a.m.

The two men worked diligently on a sign-connection plan that would require the least amount of modification to the historic structure’s exterior. Only a few minor cuts and some small painting and touch-up work to the frame areas was required. The new sign was installed about 90 minutes later, again with careful consideration by the Ulrich employees.

Lewiston Museum Curator Tom Collister said, “I thought they did an excellent, professional job.”

Ellicott Development Co. is spearheading the Frontier House renovations, and provided HAL the old sign.

Director of Development Thomas Fox said, “We are pleased to see the historic replica signage installed today as the weather warms and the highly anticipated rehabilitation of the historic Frontier House enters the home stretch. The final design for the new signage followed valuable input from NY State’s Historic Preservation Office and the Village of Lewiston’s Historic Preservation Commission.”

Tom Collister said he believes the Frontier House has had four signs: an original, with white letters on black background; two black on white – including one that also said, “Of Lewiston”; and the sign installed on Friday.

He pointed out the new sign – like the original – goes from window to window. Collister has photos, a painting, and newspaper clippings of the Frontier House dating back to the late-1800s.

In presenting the sign proposal to the Village of Lewiston, Ellicott Development Planning and Development Coordinator Jeremy Wassel said, “It will be nice, elegant; something that would be in character with that time period itself.”

He further explained, “Instead of being a typical white (lettering), we went with an off-white design. Looking at all the historic photos, it seemed like it wasn't a pure white last time. So, we went with off-white that we thought was very similar to some of the other reference photos we had.”

The sign will be externally illuminated. Wassel said, “Below the sign itself, we're going to do a little light bar that has a reflector on it, that would be able to adjust. It’s going to be about a foot out. It's going to be a very narrow beam. The fixture itself is about an inch and a quarter in height – and actually, when you angle it towards the wall, it's going to just do a nice wash on the side itself. It won’t go on the rest of the building.”

The Smith family owned the Frontier House in 1963 when sign No. 2 (“Of Lewiston”) was removed and, in 1964, replaced with sign No. 3. So, those who caught a glimpse of the building without its sign on Friday saw something not seen for more than 60 years.

Collister said it was the Smith family that also added a restaurant to the ground floor, while adding a rathskeller, a ballroom, and making the upper floors museum-type decorated rooms (which could be seen for 50 cents). The Smiths also added black shutters to the front window frames – a design style that won’t be duplicated by Ellicott Development.

PHOTOS:

Historical Association of Lewiston members Ken Slaugenhoupt, Lee Simonson, Leandra Collesano and Tom Collister took the old Frontier House sign to the Lewiston Museum. Upon new framing, the sign will hang on the south wall.