American Sign Museum
2515 Essex Place
Cincinnati, Ohio 45206
(800) 925-1110
(513) 258-4020, ext. 336
Fax: (513) 421-5144
E-mail: tod@signmuseum.org
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About the Museum
The American Sign Museum was originally incorporated in March, 1999 as the National Signs of the Times Museum. It was founded by Tod Swormstedt, former editor and publisher of Signs of the Times magazine, as his self-proclaimed "mid-life crisis project." It began as an idea, with no collection, and through the initial support of ST Media Group, publishers of Signs of the Times, has grown to boast a collection of more than 2800 objects.
The American Sign Museum's Mission was and continues to be, "to inform and educate the general public, as well as business and special interest groups, about the history of the sign industry and its significant contribution to commerce and the American landscape."
The museum was organized, "for the purpose of preserving, archiving and displaying a historical collection of signs in their many types and forms. It will also document and survey the products and equipment utilized in the design and manufacture of signs, and offer biographical information of the people who made and comprise the industry."
Nine months after its founding, the museum was granted 501(C)(3) not-for-profit status. Fourteen months later, the name was legally changed to the American Sign Museum. A search for a home for the growing collection lead to Los Angeles, Las Vegas, St. Louis and Memphis, and eventually back home to Cincinnati, OH. In January, 2004, space was leased at the museum's present site at Essex Studios in the Walnut Hills area of Cincinnati. Remodeling and design and construction of displays began soon after, and a soft opening for the museum was held in October, 2004. Six months later, more than 300 mostly sign industry representatives gathered in Cincinnati for the Museum's Grand Opening.
The Museum's collection grew considerably over the next two years and a search began for a permanent home. A historic building which offered 42,000 sq. ft. of space and 28-ft. ceiling heights was found in the Camp Washington area of Cincinnati. Negotiations began in the Fall of 2006 and an initial 19,300 sq. ft. was purchased in September, 2007. The additional 23,000 sq. ft. was leased and will become the museum's property in January, 2012. A Grand Opening for the new, permanent home of the American Sign Museum is planned for the Summer of 2009.
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