The giant neon Domino Sugars sign was turned off around dawn yesterday, so contractors can begin a $2 million project to replace the letters with LED lights.
Domino Sugar, the ASR Group subsidiary that owns the Domino refinery on Key Highway, announced last month that it planned to replace the iconic neon sign, which has loomed over Baltimore’s harbor since 1951, with an LED sign that will “mimic” the look of neon.
The new lights are expected to be more energy efficient, saving 33,000 Kilowatt hours and 23 tons of carbon dioxide per year. But the sign will still be one of the largest illuminated signs in the country, measuring 70 feet by 120 feet, and the letters will still be 12 to 20 feet tall.
Gable of Baltimore is the contractor, with owner Paul Gable and retro sign expert Norman James leading the effort. The work is expected to take four months and be complete in time for Domino to turn on the new LED sign for the Fourth of July.
