In the first half of the 20th century, neon – a “dull and invisible gas until it’s trapped in a tube and zapped with electricity” changed the art of sign making. * Theater marquees glowed even more brightly with the addition of neon, and even prosaic, utilitarian building – like a utility company building – transformed their exterior appearance with vibrant, dazzling signs. In 1955, the city of Mayfield, Kentucky, opened its new, modern Mayfield Electric and Water Systems building, with a marquee sign that trumpeted the importance of the local electric system.
The 1955 Mayfield Electric & Water Systems building.
The one-story, stone-veneered building is typical of commercial buildings influenced by the International style -perhaps unprepossessing to many, with an exterior bare of ornamentation save its ribbon windows and…that marquee.
The highlight of the building is its sign.
The building was designed by Max W. Bisson, an architect in Owensboro, Kentucky. Bisson, a World War II veteran, worked as a field architect for the Tennessee Valley Authority before setting up his own practice. Though I wasn’t able to find any primary sources discussing the construction of the Mayfield Electric & Water Systems Building, Bisson specialized in designing school buildings, which followed the low, minimal profile of the Mayfield building.
Although paying bills isn’t my favorite pastime, I would love walking through those doors and under that sign…
In a world increasingly dominated by cookie-cutter construction and uninspiring buildings, the Mayfield Electric &Water Systems Building gave me a jolt as I made my way through the town. The remarkable sign that dominates the facade of the building went dark in the 1970s, but it was recently restored – with energy efficient LED lights. I hope the lights stay on.
* Jane E. Boyd, and Jospeh Rucker. “A Blaze of Crimson Light: The Story of Neon.” Science History Institute, summer 2012.
A very nice sign. Due to when TVA’s era of greatest construction and influence occurred, there are or were quite a few neon signs associated with the organization.
An interesting thing I learned about a decade ago, when being given a tour of the facilities by the owner of a sign company, is that there are more neon signs now than in the mid-20th Century, considered the neon sign’s heyday. All, or just about all, of the plastic-fronted signs for fast food, gas stations, and the other dross of suburbia are actually neon. Behind the plastic are neon tubes (possibly xenon or whatever gas or combination of gasses that creates white light, this was a decade ago so I cannot recall what he told me the exact mixture was) because they last so long and produce such a high amount of light compared to their energy usage. If those signs used fluorescent or halogen bulbs, they would have to be changed regularly, quite the pain since the plastic covers of those signs are not meant to be taken on and off easily. Using neon solves that problem, since neon will last the life of the sign. Judging from the occasional sign work and the many new signs I have seen installed since that time, I believe everyone or nearly everyone has switched to LED lighting. You can tell compared to the signs of ten or fifteen years ago that today’s signs are much brighter.