Owners seek to restore historic neon at 340 Bleecker; Landmarks committee asks for revised rendering

Applicants seeking to install a neon bracket sign for a new restaurant at 340 Bleecker Street presented historic photos and a rendering Tuesday to the Landmarks committee for the Greenwich Village Historic District.

The restaurant’s design team said the proposed sign, 44 by 36 inches, is intended to replicate a neon sign shown in a 1969-era tax photograph for Aldo’s restaurant. Valerie Campbell, the applicants’ representative, told the committee the bracket on the building appears original and that staff-level approval is not possible because the proposed sign is larger than the district’s usual staff-level limit of 18 by 24 inches.

Why it matters: The committee’s role is to weigh changes to facades inside the Greenwich Village Historic District; the size, materials and visual relationship of the sign to the existing bracket and streetscape were the main points of contention. Committee members pressed the applicants for clearer evidence that the new sign matches the historic sign in size, proportion and construction and for improved renderings that show how the neon tubing will relate to any painted backing.

Most important facts: Applicants Robert Goldman (owner) and Brent Romano (project consultant) said the sign will read “Amos,” a historic reference to a former name for West 10th Street, and that only the bracket sign will identify the restaurant. Campbell said the proposed sign is intended to match the historic Aldo’s sign; Goldman described the applicants’ goal as restoring the storefront’s historic character and drawing customers back to the block.

Committee concerns focused on scale, proportion and the visual treatment of the neon. Susan Gammy (committee member) asked whether the proposed sign is the same size as the Aldo’s sign in the tax photograph; Campbell and the applicants said the photo indicates similar proportions but acknowledged some details are inferred from the photo evidence. Several committee members said the rendering does not show the neon tubing and painted backing clearly enough to confirm the sign will match the historic precedent.

Applicants agreed to revise materials. During the discussion the applicants offered to submit a new rendering that more closely replicates the Aldo’s sign—changing the name to “Amos,” matching the neon tubing and the painted lettering behind the neon—and to provide clearer scale drawings and staff with any additional measurements the committee requests. Committee staff said the applicants should provide a revised package before the next meeting and noted that a final resolution should record any commitments the applicants make to preserve historic proportions and to submit final drawings.

Quotes (selected): "It's in the Greenwich Village Historic District. This is an application for neon sign that's going to be installed on an existing bracket on the building," Valerie Campbell said during the presentation.

"As you can see from the photo records, ... the 1969 photo here, really says it all. It's the precedent we wanted to revive," Robert Goldman said of the Aldo's sign the applicants are using as a model.

"We would happily make the modifications to make this exactly as Aldo's restaurant sign was with just our name instead of Aldo's," Goldman added when members asked for a clearer historic match.

Ending: The committee did not take a formal vote on the application at that meeting. Members instructed staff to receive a revised rendering and more precise scale information from the applicants showing how the neon tubing will be mounted relative to a painted backing and the bracket. The item will return to the committee with those materials and a draft resolution reflecting the committee’s requested conditions.