Grain Belt sign in downtown Minneapolis has been part of the city's skyline for more than 80 years
Where downtown Minneapolis meets the Mississippi River, spring is in full swing. Trees are turning green, the river is rushing by and standing above it all like a nostalgic sun is the Grain Belt sign.
The iconic sign has been a part of the city's skyline for more than 80 years. It's a staple that has quite a history.
"At one point in time there were five of those signs in Minneapolis," said Kyle Marti of August Schell Brewing Company.
This is the last one standing. It was put up in 1941 for the Marigold Ballroom and then moved to its current location on Nicollet Island in 1950. Back then, ad placement was huge, literally.
The sign is 51 feet tall and 63 feet wide. And when it was built 85 years ago it was one of the largest neon signs in the entire country.
But when Grain Belt went out of business in the mid-70's, the sign went dark. And attempts to get it re-lit hit funding roadblocks.
"The sign fell into disrepair for many, many years," said Marti.
When Schell's bought Grain Belt in 2002, the sign wasn't included. At that point a man named Winthrop Eastman was the proud owner.
"It took us many, many years to wrestle it away from him. He loved the sign, loved everything about it. He wanted to see it come back into operation," said Marti.
As soon as the sale became final, Schell's went to work, running a crowdfunding campaign to get the lights back on. With LED's replacing more than 2,000 incandescent bulbs.
"You could buy one bulb for $100 and that's how we raised a lot of the money for the sign. Then in 2017 we had the great Grain Belt sign-lighting party," said Marti.
They flipped the switch and never looked back, just in time for the Super Bowl. For a sign that never goes anywhere, this one gets around.
"You'll see it in paintings. You'll see it in photographs," said Marti. "I see wedding photos in front of it. I see engagement photos in front of it. I've seen people put tattoos on their body."
Rust, water damage and squirrels who like to chew on wires are their biggest challenge. It costs Schell's about $50,000 a year to keep the sign on. An expensive, yet iconic effort, that's well worth it.
"The amount of traffic that goes through that bridge every day, and when that thing is lit up, you aren't going to find a better billboard," said Marti.
Marti said the Grain Belt sign will need repairs again soon, and they are in the early stages of planning for construction to keep it running for decades to come.
The sign, located near the Hennepin Avenue Bridge, is on the National Register of Historic Places. Marti says it will need repairs again soon and they're in the early stages of planning for construction to keep it running for decades to come.