August Schell Brewing Co. 3rd NAME OF APPLICANT WARD 71 NICOLLET ST 207 201 49 45 ISLAND AVE E 220 ISLAND AVE W 41 31 33 35 37 39 43 51 53 108 6 4 14 12 GROVE ST 25 DE LASALLE DR EASTMAN AVE St. Anthony Falls 1ST AVE NE WILDER ST 95 HENNEPIN AVE E 2 105 9 MERRIAM ST WEST RIVER PKWY N HENNEPIN AVE 90 HENNEPIN AVE 20 16 22 5 Minneapolis Warehouse 1 100 3 200 100 0 200 400 ¹ Feet PROPERTY ADDRESS FILE NUMBER 4 Island Avenue West PLAN4328 NPS Form 1 0-900-a (Rev. 812002) OMB No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior _Grain Belt Beer Sign National Park Service Name of Property Hennepin County, Minnesota National Register of Historic Places County and State N/A Continuation Sheet Name of multiple listing (if applicable) Section number Additional Documentation Page 2 Figure 2: A Grain Belt Beer Sign on the roof of the Marigold Ballroom, 1330-1342 Nicollet A venue, March 4, 1950. Source: Norton and Peel Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, Saint Paul, Minnesota. NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior Grain Belt Beer_c:::._ Sign ____ _ National Park Service Name of Property _Hennepin County, Minnesota National Register of Historic Places County and State N/A Continuation Sheet Name of multiple listing (if applicable) Section number Additional Documentation Page 5 Figure 5: The Grain Belt Beer Sign on Nicollet Island, viewed from Hennepin A venue near First Street, July 31, 1951. The Great Northern Depot is the building on the left side of the image. Source: Minnesota Historical Society, Saint Paul, Minnesota. NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior Grain Belt Beer Sign National Park Service Name of Property Hennepin County, Minnesota National Register of Historic Places County and State N/A Continuation Sheet Name of multiple listing (if applicable) Section number Additional Documentation Page 6 Figure 6: The Grain Belt Beer Sign on Nicollet Island, viewed from Great Northern Depot, May 28, 1953. Source: Minnesota Historical Society, Saint Paul, Minnesota. ;*V- C7m^ u^/u ■:'... iW.v,, ^/fb nMK) I .‘•.j-v:i',.':;. ■■■:i ^’-V- ^i'- . ... -- (^nlD K/t"0i4 f.S-.rAV >•■• ■-■*■'• '■Cl /r-V.:/’ .* 4%^ '■* Statement of Proposed Use; Description of the Project The project discussed in this Application includes the restoration of, relighting of, and addition of a security fence to the existing Grain Belt sign, located at 4 West Island Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota (the “Sign”). It is worth noting that no structural changes or repairs are planned or requested at this time, nor is there any demolition planned for the site. With respect to the porcelain Sign (exclusive of the lighting features on the Sign), no changes or other modifications are planned, with the exception of minor rust removal and/or prevention and removal of the empty billboard space located on the rear of the Sign. While not currently planned as part of the necessary restoration efforts, minor paint touch-ups (to match the existing colors) and graffiti removal, may be conducted, as is determined to be necessary by SML Electrical Inc., the contractor for the Project (“SML”). Regarding the lighting of the Sign, at present, the Sign contains largely non-functional incandescent lightbulbs, which originally spelled out the words “Grain Belt Beer,” as well as green, red and amber neon tubes comprising the border of the Sign, bottle cap details, and inner diamond, respectively. SML plans to replace the existing incandescent lightbulbs with energy- efficient LED lamps in warm white with color-changing capabilitie. This particular color mimics that of the original incandescent bulbs (both when off and on), and preserves the ability to light individual letters in a designated sequence (as the original lighting of the Sign allowed for the letters to spell out “Grain Belt” one letter at a time, with “Beer” flashing, all-lit at the end of the sequence). The original neon will be replaced with energy-efficient contour LED lights with color-changing capabilities. The LED lights are similarly sized to the original neon tubing and will be as closely color matched as possible. That said, August Schell Brewing Co. would like the ability to change the colors of the lights on the Sign for special occasions (e.g. Fourth of July, Aquatennial, etc.), thus the replacement lights will have this added capability. August Schell has considered the possibility of re-lighting the Sign with neon, but has found the same to be impractical, inefficient, significantly more prone to issues/problems (it is believed that replacement with neon would merely perpetuate the Sign’s past trend of “going dark” after restorative efforts, as the neon was consistently the culprit), and cost-prohibitive. For these reasons, replacement with neon is not an option that August Schell is willing to consider at this time. Installation costs alone would be a minimum of $150,000.00, and the overall cost for electricity to the neon is estimated to be 80% higher than the LED proposed, making it highly inefficient. Additional maintenance of the neon would also be cost-prohibitive. It is estimated that maintenance visits for neon-related issues cost $5,000.00 per service, and additionally, given that the neon is produced overseas, there would be a several-week lag time in replacing/repairing the neon each time it goes down. The LED technology August Schell is proposing will preserve the historical look of the Sign, be far more energy efficient, more reliable and will give the Sign a much better chance at being lit for years to come. At present, there is no security fence located around the Sign, which has allowed the Sign to become a magnet for graffiti and also a potential safety hazard. In order to protect both the relit Sign and the public, generally, SML will also install a new, metal mesh security fence wrapping the steel structure of the Sign, which fence will also include a horizontal base (made of the same fencing material) to deter climbers from entering the Sign structure from below, given that the fence will not touch the ground below the Sign at any point around the Sign’s base. The fence will be approximately 15 feet tall on three of the four sides; the river-facing portion of the 1 8265396v2 fence will conclude at or near the existing catwalk located on the front face of the Sign). The fence will be installed above the existing footings located at the base of the structural portion of the Sign at the highest elevation-point of the property located immediately below the Sign (see depiction for details). The fence will be attached to the exterior of the existing steel frame structure of the Sign using brackets; SML does not plan to drill additional holes into the structure unless absolutely necessary. The fence will be painted with a powder-coated black, to match the color of the existing structure and to minimize contrast, with a graffiti-resistant paint. The top of the fence will have an angled overhand, so as to deter climbing, and an access doorway through the fence will be located at the top of the hill upon which the Sign structure is situated. Finally, SML plans to remove and/or cut back 5 existing trees growing within or around the existing structural base of the Sign, as such trees/plants have been used by “urban explorers” to gain access to the Sign. Removal of this vegetation, however, will be as minimal as possible – SML is simply planning to remove what is necessary for safety reasons. Overall, precise care has been taken by SML to ensure that the new features (lights, and fencing) are largely consistent (or at a minimum, in line with) the original and existing Sign. SML performed the relighting and restoration work on the Sign back in the 1980s; they are intimately familiar with the original look and feel of the Sign, as well as it’s iterations and changes over the past several decades. Please see the enclosed mock-ups, site plan, photographs, etc. for additional details on the scope of the Project. 2 8265396v2 Written Statement The Applicant has been advised by City Planning staff that a variance (steep slope) and Certificate of Appropriateness will be required in connection with this Project. Below are Applicant’s responses to the required findings necessary for a Certificate of Appropriateness: 1. The alteration is compatible with the designation of the landmark or historic district, including the period and criteria of significance. As more fully described above, the nature and character of the relighting of the Sign has been carefully considered to preserve the original integrity, look and feel of the Sign, while restoring the Sign’s functionality, visibility and appeal within the community. The porcelain Sign itself will remain largely untouched throughout the process described above, with the exception of minor rust removal and paint touch-ups relating thereto. The installation of new LED contour lighting and LED bulbs to replace the existing, neon and incandescent bulbs continues to preserve the character of the Sign, and will not noticeably alter the visual appeal or appearance of the sign (as sizing, color and channel inlays of the proposed lights are unobtrusive and largely similar to the existing neon and incandescent bulbs – which, it is worth noting, are largely un- original to the Sign, having been replaced in the late 1980s). In addition, the color-changing capabilities of the proposed LED lights will help connect the sign to the community in which it exists, allowing it to become an integral and important part of significant communal events, matters of cultural, historical, or social significance, and neighborhood festivities.