Illinois' Dead Mall
Preserving the Memories of Lakehurst Mall
Operation: Save the Sign
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| For
36 years, the Lakehurst sign at the off-ramp of Route 120 welcomed
visitors to the Lakehurst area. The sign, which managed to survive
three years longer than the mall itself, was finally torn down in
February 2007, however, the sign had seen much better days than it was
in. With the letters L and A missing, its posts rusty and dirty, the
flourescant lights burned out, faded, dirty sign panels, the sign was
obviously doomed after the mall was announced it was being demolished.
Some life did return to the Lakehurst sign in 2005, with a large STORES
FOR RENT banner being hung over the Lakehurst lettering, though the
green seagull, which had been Lakehurst's icon since the beginning,
still flew still over Route 120. On February 11, 2007, I saw the sign, in pieces, in the parking lot of the Powerhouse Gym. By Wednesday, the sign was gone forever. Or was it? The purpose of Save the Sign is to get what's left of the Lakehurst sign and preserve it for future generations. I will be attempting to retrieve the green Seagull insignia that was at the very top of the sign. Though I'd love to get the ENTIRE sign, I only have enough room for the green square at the top. As of February 14, 2007 I have been in contact with the building owner of the Powerhouse Gym, who after the mall closed gained ownership of the sign. I will be expecting a phone call on Friday, February 16 to hopefully know the whereabouts of the sign's remains. It is very possible that this mission will be a success. I have done this same thing with retriving a section of track from GREAT AMERICA's defunct ShockWave roller coaster. So I should be able to get the sign, as long as it wasnt shattered when it was dropped off at the (possible) junkyard. 2/16/07 UPDATE I am now in contact with Doyle Sign, the company that dismantled the Lakehurst sign last week. I will be speaking to Mr. Doyle on Monday. I believe I was told that they are in possession of the sign. I will provide another update next Monday. 2/20/07 UPDATE After contacting Doyle Sign, they have confirmed that they have the sign. 2/21/07 UPDATE They're asking for $200 for one of them. Im gonna try to convince them to lower it to at least $150 (thank God I'm starting work this spring). The sign is about 5' x 5' or something around that. | |||||||
3/2/07 UPDATE - PROJECT A SUCCESS!
The sign owners have allowed me to take the Lakehurst sign for free. I will be going to pick it up on Monday.
The sign owners have allowed me to take the Lakehurst sign for free. I will be going to pick it up on Monday.
The Sign Comes Home - March 5, 2007
Had to rent a Ryder truck to bring it home from Addison, Illinois. It's about 6' x 6', so it's pretty big. The pigeons have really gotten to it with the bird crap all over it, but it can be cleaned. It will be kept in my room, it will never be in the elements again. They offered me both of them but the other one had a huge hole in it so I left it behind. This one I believe faced looking towards Service Merchandise.
Close-up of the bird.
Here's the sign next to my brother for a size comparison.
Me with the sign, another example of how big this thing is...
The sign is currently kept alongside my garage. When it warms up I will do more with it (it needs to be cleaned really badly, it will be moved into my bedroom so it will never be exposed to the elements again) For a 30+ year old sign that has probably not had any maintenance work done on it in 20 years, it still looks great.
I put a flashlight behind it to see how it looked lit-up and it looked really nice. Maybe I'll build some frame with a light behind it someday.
Close-up of the bird.
Here's the sign next to my brother for a size comparison.
Me with the sign, another example of how big this thing is...
The sign is currently kept alongside my garage. When it warms up I will do more with it (it needs to be cleaned really badly, it will be moved into my bedroom so it will never be exposed to the elements again) For a 30+ year old sign that has probably not had any maintenance work done on it in 20 years, it still looks great.
I put a flashlight behind it to see how it looked lit-up and it looked really nice. Maybe I'll build some frame with a light behind it someday.
Final Destination
The sign was moved inside in mid-March. It will remain here until I can find a larger location for it. It will, however, never be exposed to the elements again.
I placed a light behind it once to see how it looked when lit. After 36 years of being exposed to the elements, it still looked nice.
I placed a light behind it once to see how it looked when lit. After 36 years of being exposed to the elements, it still looked nice.