Georgetown Sign Returns; Lighting Set for Sept. 23

The iconic sign for the old Georgetown Theater returned to its proper place July 29, as workmen from Jack Stone Signs re-attached the metal structure to the former movie house at Wisconsin Avenue and O Street NW.

The red-letter day for the sign’s relighting is Sept. 23 — literally and actually — as the letters will be aglow in neon-red.

Architect Robert Bell bought the old theater property in October 2013 and is renovating the building at 1351 Wisconsin Ave. NW for retail and residential use. The theater’s neon sign, which display the illuminated word, “GEORGETOWN,” was hauled away last September and re-done at Jack Stone Signs, which originally manufactured it in 1950.

“Restoring the neon Georgetown sign has been a project of mine for seven years,” Bell told the Georgetowner. “It’s extremely satisfying as an architect committed to contextual architecture to help restore this historical building and its iconic neon sign as a vital part of Wisconsin Avenue and Georgetown. This restoration with its new mixed use building and garden will revitalize the heart of historic Georgetown.  More simply, this is fantastic, and I am looking forward to celebrating lighting the neon sign on the equinox, Sept. 23.”  

Architect Robert Bell and his plans for the rejuvenation of the old Georgetown Theater property were the subject of a Jan. 15, 2014, Georgetowner cover story.