This is a new, regular feature of the Signhugger Blog, with the help of Tod Swormstedt, Founder of the American Sign Museum. My purpose, when I approached Tod for this concept, was to draw attention to the ways that signs have been part of our visual lexicon for generations, and how they create a more spirited environment. I want people to look at old signs fondly, feel nostalgia, and respect their design, and especially, their stories….
"Visitors to the American Sign Museum are generally pleasantly surprised at the number of signs and the manner in which the signs are displayed. But often, I hear it’s the stories I can relate about the signs that make the museum experience unique. Consequently, it’s always been our goal to know as much about a sign (or other acquisition) as possible. I’m told they call this “provenance” in museum speak. Thanks to Teresa M. Young, I will be sharing some of these stories with you." -- Tod Swormstedt
A Tale of Two Signs
Can one sign share a story sandwiched within a story, wrapping a piece of the American Dream inside a family feud, and give us a lesson to help steer our own ventures? This is the story, just the facts, so that you can ascribe the meaning that fits.
Tod had his eye on the “Georgiton’s Pizza” sign for some time. The pole-mounted, plastic-faced and neon-illuminated sign had once identified a local pizza establishment in the University of Cincinnati area. He was interested for two reasons:
1) It had a sign tag for a local custom sign business—Probst Signs—and he knew the owner Dale Probst was in his 70s and would soon be retired.
2) It was an excellent sample of a 1950s era custom sign. Signs like this in good condition are particularly tough to find.
A small twist of fate played right into Tod’s plans: A local entrepreneur—McNeil Ryan—had re-opened a pizza restaurant under a new name—Mac’s Pizza. The restaurant’s original “Georgiton’s Pizza” sign was still mounted on a pole in the parking lot behind the restaurant, so Mac called the museum to ask if they wanted the “original sign.”
Tod thanked him and his lucky stars, and arranged for a local sign company to carefully remove the sign.
A funny thing happened though, once they had the sign on the ground: They discovered that the Georgiton’s panel had been screwed in over top of the original panel. But why?
Being good investigators, and seeing their share of bizarre sign alterations over the years, there was no doubt that the face panel needed to be lifted off.
After gently prying off the Georgiton face, another sign was discovered. Here was hand lettered copy underneath the face plate, revealing that the sign had originally been created for “Papa Dino’s.” This is not the end of the story, but rather, it is the beginning…
Tod went back to Mac’s to thank him for the donation, and mentioned his discovery of a sign within a sign. Mac knew something about that.
“That makes sense. There is actually a “Papa Dino’s” pizza place down the street and around the corner, and my location right here was the actual location of the original Papa Dino’s,” Mac explained.
In 1956, Papa Dino immigrated from a small village in Southern Greece. He brought to Clifton his now famous spaghetti, pizza and gyro sauces, Italian salad dressing, and his pizza Dough. After many years of hard work and determination, Papa Dino realized his dream and opened Papa Dino's Pizza.
Two brothers had once operated Papa Dino’s out of the building that now houses Mac’s Pizza Pub. Here, for a while, was the American Dream, built on old world family secrets - and, for a while, the combination worked.
Until one day, these two most prominent family members, two who were brothers, had a falling out so great that they split up and established rival restaurants.
While one left and took the name Papa Dino’s just one block north to 349 Calhoun Street, the other stayed and simply changed the name on the sign to Georgiton’s Pizza. “Papa Dino’s” does indeed still exist. One brother kept the original parking lot sign, but slapped on the family name over the original and even had new neon made and installed. Shining brightly, the sign told a story of a real life Greek tragedy where two brothers part ways, operating just blocks apart, each with a sign as a visual snub to the other.
You can see “BERT’S Papa Dino’s” pizzeria ad in the University of Cincinnati News Record of 1966: http://digitalprojects.libraries.uc.edu/newsrecord/1966/1966_02_24.pdf
One more piece of the tale...
You can find Bagel Brothers dba Georgiton Bros today, at 347 Calhoun Street in Cincinnati... owned by Pete and Carol Georgiton. Mac’s Pizza location was owned by John & Jenny Georgiton. So, have John and Pete gone their separate ways?
"Papa Dino," now retired according to Mac, went back to his homeland of Greece, while Pete continues the delicatessen vision and Greek fare of his American dream… Still hanging onto the “Brothers” of the Georgiton heritage, family separated by 5300 miles… and a sign that speaks volumes.
Postscript: It is most often the policy of the American Sign Museum to restore the sign back to its original copy when doing so won’t compromise the sign. In this case, it was easy to remove the neon and Georgiton’s panel and have “Papa Dino’s” neon made as was original. Of course, Tod kept the “Georgiton’s” panel and will display it, together with a panel outlining the story behind the sign. Mac said that Papa Dino would very likely approve.
Tod Swormstedt is the founder of the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati, OH. He is the former editor and publisher of Signs of the Times magazine. His brother, Wade, currently edits the century-old publication.
Until next time, be your own yardstick.
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