A new, old look for the Lafayette Theater marquee
Indiana Landmarks, city’s Historic Preservation Commission put limits on just how modern the restoration of theater sign at Sixth and Main may be. Plus, LPD targets traffic violations at South/Creasy.
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A NEW, OLD LOOK FOR THE LAFAYETTE THEATER MARQUEE
Restoration work on the Lafayette Theater marquee, an iconic downtown landmark at Sixth and Main street, received hesitant blessings of Indiana Landmarks and the Lafayette Historic Preservation Commission, provided that new video technology being incorporated into the sign is used to replicate the current look and nothing more.
The marquee restoration, part of a larger project to make exterior repairs to the city-owned theater’s façade, roof and entryways, got the certificate of appropriateness needed Monday night from the Historic Preservation Commission, on an 8-1 vote.
The approval came with a condition that the city draft a policy that will govern how video components display upcoming shows so it doesn’t fall back into, as an Indiana Landmarks official said, a rotating collection of streaming messages and time and temperature readings.
Instead, the digital video board would use a backdrop and fonts – with in black or red, only – as the lettering currently placed by hand across the front and two sides of the sign facing Main Street.
“The decision to approve that as part of the overall exterior renovation plans was a difficult one to make,” Tommy Kleckner, Indiana Landmarks Western Regional Office director, told the Historic Preservation Commission Monday.
