The Darkroom
For those who didn't know, I can now reveal the secret of The Darkroom neon sign. This stunning piece of Art Deco design was once located on Wilshire Boulevard's Miracle Mile just above the landmarked facade of The Darkroom camera supply store. Sadly, the facade was given monument status for its unique programmatic style, but the original sign on the store was not awarded such protection. When the store changed tenants, the stainless-steel sign was tossed out and thought to be lost forever.
Decades later, the man who was hired to remove the sign from the facade came forward. He had recognized the sign's importance and kept what he could salvage of it (minus the absent K) in the rafters of his sign studio and, just a few years ago, donated it to the Museum of Neon Art (MONA).
As a fan of Wilshire and neon, this piece was an incredible find and I was thrilled it went to MONA and back on public display. However, after just a few years back in the public eye, the museum lost its lease and shut its doors for a year. Although MONA has now reopened in a new-yet-temporary space, the sign had to go somewhere in the interim.
And, of course, I volunteered to store it and a few other museum signs in my loft in downtown LA. Yes, that's right, I was storing The Darkroom sign in my loft for the past year and was giddy to share it with anyone who walked in my door. It fit perfectly right under my window.
Now the sign has gone back to MONA and it's in the public eye again. Not only has it returned to the museum, but it will soon be restored with funding from an NEA grant and relit for the first time in decades.
I'm thrilled, of course, but so miss having that sign in my home. The Darkroom is such a beauty and it was such an honor to store it.