City looks into preserving historic signs

When Umami Burger moved into the building on the corner of Riverside Drive and Rose Street in Burbank, it kept a few traces of Papoo’s Hot Dog Show, a restaurant that had been there for 62 years before closing in 2011.

The most obvious trace is the signage, which Brian Rosman, a spokesman for the burger chain, said is a “nod to what Papoo’s was before.”

Like the menu, which features a list of “Umamified” hot dogs, the signs have been updated, yet retain a flavor of the prior tenant. But, perhaps sadly for those who remember, the neon hot-dog angel atop the eatery is gone and only a faded silhouette remains. It was too expensive to update, Rosman said.

City officials have heard from many residents that such signs mean a lot to them, said Amanda Landry, an associate planner for the city. Now planners are looking at ways to encourage businesses to preserve their historic assets.

Using a state grant, the city recently hired a consultant to catalog potentially historic signs in its commercial districts. Planners are also working on an ordinance that would offer businesses incentives to keep historic signs.

The consultant identified 79 signs that have been around since before 1969, said Katie Horak of Architectural Resources Group, Inc. in Pasadena, the firm that conducted the study. More than 40 of those signs remain largely unaltered and could be historically significant, according to the firm’s research.

The issue is that while programs and incentives exist to encourage preservation of historic buildings, nothing is in place to protect the signs alone, Landry told the city’s Planning Board during a presentation of the study Monday night

The city had worked with Umami Burger to help save some of the signs, Landry said. But in the end there was not much the city could offer under its current programs and ordinances.

Across from the former Papoo’s location, there’s a different story, thanks to a state program to preserve historic sites. There stands one of the more iconic signs on the list at the oldest remaining Bob’s Big Boy in the United States, dating back to 1949 and the city’s post-war boom.

The city’s list of historical resources states that the “large monumental sign is an integral part of the building’s design and is its most prominent feature.” The building, including its sign, was designated a California Point of Historic Interest in 1992.

However, sometimes buildings have been modified too significantly to qualify as historic sites, Landry said. The signs, though, may be largely unchanged and could be historical assets on their own.

But those signs are slowly disappearing.

Horak said that some of the potentially historic signs identified in the study have already changed. Between February and June, a sign at Thirst Quencher Liquors, 440 N. Glenoaks Blvd., and one at Glenoaks Pharmacy, 303 S. Glenoaks Blvd., had been modified from their historic versions, Landry said.

To prevent further losses, city planners are working on an ordinance that would give businesses incentives to preserve their signs. One incentive might be to not count preserved signage space against a new business’ total allotted signage space.

“The city is limited in what kind of incentives we can offer,” Landry said. “We don’t have lots of financial incentive.”

The city could also offer to promote businesses that participate in a historic-sign program, which could be significant for small businesses, she said.

Landry will present the historic sign study next to the Burbank City Council. Planning staff will then incorporate feedback from city officials into a proposed ordinance before officially presenting it the council later this year.