Center for the Arts marquee sign erected on Second Avenue

Audrey Johnson, The Decatur Daily, Ala.
·3 min read

May 10—An 8-by-16-foot outdoor LED marquee sign promoting the Alabama Center for the Arts will enhance the appearance of Second Avenue, project managers said Tuesday as the sign's installation progressed.

Michael Dowdy, project architect for Fuqua and Partners Architects, designed the marquee to hang from the center's visual arts building by taking cues from the look of the Princess Theatre across the street. Both northbound and southbound traffic on Second Avenue Northeast will be able to see the sign, and LED bulbs will sparkle underneath it.

"The intent is to increase the presence of the Alabama Center for the Arts and give announcements for all the events they have here at the center," Dowdy said. "We're very excited for the Alabama Center for the Arts, we're excited for Decatur and we're excited to be enhancing the fabric of the town."

The sign will advertise upcoming shows for the Alabama Center for the Arts and display community messages for 3rd Fridays.

"This particular design contains all of the classic elements of the Princess, but it introduces the new modern technology with the LED screens," Dowdy said. "It gives it advanced functionality, and the ability to display all different types of content while retaining that classic, retro vibe."

Brandon Price, president of BCA General Contractors, said his company's bid for the project was $250,000 and Dowdy started to work on the design in 2021. Wes Torian said COVID-19 related supply chain issues caused delays in the project. Torian said the sign will be up and running by the end of the month.

Welders started to assemble the marquee at 5 a.m. Tuesday morning. A crane held the pieces up for workers to weld.

"Because of the sheer size of the sign, it's over a wide load so you can't lay it down flat," Price said. "You can't set it up straight. It all had to be brought individually in individual pieces and then welded on site."

A team of steel fabricators and steel erectors as well as the electrician and audio-visual installer were present to assemble the sign. The intricate technology has made the project challenging.

"We've had several meetings over the past many months coordinating all the little details even so far as how much wiring goes in which conduit, and how that conduit connects back into the building," Dowdy said. "It's involved. It's no small feat."

Price said his team is also working on a $3.5 million maintenance facility for Athens State and that the marquee sign is a more difficult project.

"They're more or less putting a 5K high-definition TV outside," Price said.

"On both sides," Dowdy added.

The display panels going into the box were first dry-fitted in Gurley to ensure they were fabricated correctly.

"Everything goes together like a puzzle," Dowdy said. "We'll put in this last piece, and it'll fit just right. It takes some thinking."

Workers had the sign's frame installed on the building by Tuesday afternoon.

— audrey.johnson@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2437.