Historic and stubborn sign comes down, changing Fresno skyline. How did they do it?
Two weeks after crews tried and failed to remove the Guarantee Savings sign from its perch atop the State Center Community College District offices in downtown Fresno, they were at it again.
Fresno Street was closed at Fulton on Saturday morning and a viewing section was set up for those wanting to watch as a large crane brought down the 11,000-plus-pound sign, which will now be relocated to the Fresno Fairgrounds.
A replica sign is being fabricated and should be installed by the summer 2025.
The State Center Community College District had been weighing what to do with the sign since moving into the 12-story Guarantee Savings Building in 2018.
The sign was originally installed in 1965 as a 15-foot rotating weather beacon. The G would change colors (from green to white to red), depending on the forecast. At one point, the building also had a 6-foot-tall time and temperature sign.
The G sign went dark in the 1990s and fell into disrepair. By the time community college district moved in, the electrical system for the rotation and lighting had stopped working and the whole thing was being held in place by thick wires, according to SCCCD Vice Chancellor of Operations Christine D. Miktarian.
It was something in that broken infrastructure that kept the sign from being removed the first time, despite several attempts. Contractors had to re-examine the sign to figure out the issue before Saturday’s removal, the district said.
The district’s original intention was to keep and repair the original sign, but ultimately, a structural engineer, an architect and the sign’s original installer determined the sign was beyond repair.
And also, there was a possibly it could topple over, given heavy enough winds.
The new replica sign will keep the design aesthetics of the original, but comply with current structural codes, the district said.
The digital sign will have LED bulbs that can be controlled to match the other exterior lights on the building, which are designed to change in recognition of commemorative events (think red, white and blue on the 4th of July).