Photo By Tom Swormstedt

Tod Swormstedt's passion for signs, neon and otherwise, has resulted in an unusual collection that will become a one-of-a-kind Cincinnati musuem.

Tod Swormstedt found himself in a sign boneyard one too many times. His family has owned Sign of the Times, a trade magazine for the sign manufacturing industry, since 1911 -- almost since its inception in 1906. Swormstedt has been working in and around the industry for more than 25 years.

"My great-grandfather edited the first issue (of Sign of the Times)," he explains. "So I spent a lot of time in sign shops. I saw signs being thrown out for lack of space, especially in urban areas where people were cleaning up the environment. Old signs were being thrown away."

Watching pieces of history being pitched eventually got to Swormstedt. In 1998, he decided to do something about it.

"I came up with the idea for a history of the sign (manufacturing) business," he laughs. "I guess it was kind of a midlife crisis."

Swormstedt is about to reap the fruits of his midlife crisis. The American Sign Museum will have its grand opening in April 2005, but sign aficionados are already knocking on his door.

"It's so much more than just signs hanging on the wall," he explains. "We're much more upscale than what people expect."

The only one of its kind in the nation, the American Sign Museum boasts areas devoted to several aspects of the American sign industry.

"Signs of Main Street" is a collection of life-sized storefront replicas -- a 1932 gas station, a café from 1910, a 1920s shoe store and, of course, a corner drugstore from the late 1930s -- all complete with authentic signs from the appropriate era. The storefronts are painted in grayscale to emphasize the colors of the signs; the "windows" of each storefront are actually display cases with smaller, era-appropriate signs.

"We've designed 12 storefronts," Swormstedt says, "but we only have room for four in our current location."

Another area is focused on the history of the lettering used on signs. But Swormstedt knows that most people who visit the museum will be more interested in the "Signs of Main Street" and the "Sign Garden."

The latter, he says, will teach people which signs came from specific eras. "It ranges from the Art Nouveau era to the late 1950s," Swormstedt says, noting that the history of the industry is worth learning. "The history of signs, lighting and design -- it's a visual example of the history of America. That's what we try to get across."

For sign collectors, the museum will be a mecca of sorts, where they can swap stories and trade tales. Swormstedt says he had no idea that so many people were interested in sign collection until he started covering that aspect of the business in Signs of the Times.

"I'd written a few articles on people who had collections of old signs," he explains, "but I wasn't fully aware of the network of sign collectors and antique dealers -- of how many people really collect signs."

Those who do collect, he says, are the same folk fascinated by Americana and the more specific category of "Roadside Americana." Swormstedt says that sub-group is further divided into people who collect "petroliana" -- images and memorabilia to do with gas stations -- and those who collect signs and remembrances from old motels and diners.

Certainly, Swormstedt has discovered a niche market. But he's also serving two different communities beyond collectors. After he was quoted in a nationally circulated news story about "ghost signs" -- painted on the side of brick buildings -- he received calls for months from local papers that picked up the story and wanted information specific to their towns. Small towns are eager to know the history of local signs. He's also connected with the film industry, too, especially producers making period films who want to ensure historical accuracy.

"There's a lot of misinformation out there," he sighs. "People think neon (signs) were around at the turn of the century. There was no neon until the 1920s."

The calls alone are enough to keep him busy. But Swormstedt stays focused on his dream -- acquiring signs for his growing museum.

"Sometimes we get (signs) free from sign companies," he says. "I get a lot of help from sign companies. They'll hear about a building being torn down and tell me. We also buy signs through a network of dealers."

Technically, the American Sign Museum is a nonprofit organization; financially, Swormstedt's venture is underwritten in part by ST Media Group International, current publisher of Signs of the Times, and four other industry-related magazines.

Although the museum doesn't necessarily focus on local signs, Swormstedt has acquired a few from Lachner's, Ohio Displays, Kroger and a "fiberglass Big Boy that was stripped, painted and refinished to look as it did in the 1960s, thanks to Karen Maier," vice president of marketing for Frisch's. He also has his eye on a few local signs, including the one for Skyline Chili sitting on the corner of Ludlow and Clifton avenues.

Drivers traveling through the Mount Auburn area have probably seen a few of Swormstedt's signs in the parking lot at the corner of McMillan and Essex. "They're too big for the current space," he says. But they serve as great advertising for museum, which is located at that same intersection.

At this point, the American Sign Museum is open by appointment only, but Swormstedt says, "If I'm in town, I'm open. Just call me. I live five minutes away."

Clearly, signs are his passion. And communicating his passion to the rest of the world -- through letters, displays, storefronts and neon -- is the sign of Swormstedt's time. ©