Diamond Grille sign lights up again downtown after getting some TLC

After four months, one of Akron's most iconic signs — the vintage Diamond Grille sign — is back up and casting its neon glow on West Market Street.

The sign, believed to be from the 1940s, came down in mid-October for a face-lift when repairs were done to the front of the building; the beige brick facade was starting to crumble due to water damage. The project marked the first time the sign has come down since it was originally installed, said co-owner Katie Stack.

On Friday afternoon, a crew from Adams Signs in Massillon was working on getting the sign's electric in and adding stainless steel cables from the sign to the restaurant exterior to keep it secure. The vintage sign was lifted up to the restaurant facade by crane, with its stainless steel mount bolted through the restaurant's exterior brick and into the interior brick.

"It's probably the most iconic sign in Akron. It's so special," Stack said of the sign with the ceramic green faces on each side, red Diamond Grille lettering, yellow lines bordering the sides and distinctive white diamond emblem.

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Stack said she's been asked daily for the last four months when the sign would go back up. On Friday, she posted photos of the reinstallation on social media, saying: "Today is the day! She’s coming home."

"About damn time! It ain't Akron without that sign," commented Steve W. Simmons.

"All is well in the universe," said Bubba Rafferty.

Lunch guests Friday, including Ray Nemer, Tony Troppe and Alan Burge, were excited to see the Diamond Grille sign back home.

"It is a good day," said Troppe. "I can't wait to see it (lit up) tonight."

Stacks new Diamond Grille owners since 2017

Stack and her husband, John, purchased the Diamond Grille steakhouse from Ted and Nick Thomas Jr. in 2017, after Stack had worked there for more than seven years as a waitress. The restaurant, founded by Vito Strongoli in the early 1930s, had been in the Thomas family for more than 75 years.

In the five years that the Stacks have owned the Diamond Grille, they've spent more than $500,000 purchasing and paving two lots adjacent to the restaurant, replacing its roof, fixing its facade and restoring its sign.

Stack said for years, the sign had been finicky, with bits and pieces of its neon going out at different times. It also had degraded on the inside.

"It needed to come down to get the kind of TLC that it needed," she said.

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Sales manager Jason Green of Adams Signs said his company was able to clean stains off the green ceramic faces of the restaurant sign rather than replace the faces.

"No one makes them like that anymore," he said of the ceramic.

His company also treated rust spots on the original faces so they wouldn't get worse.

"I like the kind of vintage, patinaed warm look," Stack said of the restored sign.

Adams Signs replaced 29 pieces of the sign's extensive neon lighting, which totals about 50 pieces. The company also made sure the sign's new power supplies are reachable so it doesn't have to be taken down to be serviced in the future.

"It is built like a tank," Green said. "The sign is built to last another 100 years."

He said his company was proud to work on one of Akron's most historical signs.

"How often do you get to do a sign that's 80 years old? You just don't. You don't come across that very often. Everyone replaces their signs with something new and bright, and they don't stay traditional," he said.

Structural work at Diamond Grille

M&W Masonry Construction of Hartville started structural work to the brick and tile at the front of the building in mid-October, a project that had scaffolding up for about three weeks. The Diamond Grille has remained open for the whole restoration project.

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Next, carpenter David Ashley will replace rotted wood columns on either side of the front door. Painter Shawn Wojtowicz, who sealed the building with primer in November, will paint the whole building in the spring.

A new black and gray awning from South Akron Awning Co. also will go up.

Stack stressed that the Diamond Grille's sign is its trademark, not the building itself, which she described as "nothing to look at."

"It'll continue to be a kind of nondescript, sort of under-the-radar, just classic standalone building," she said "As long as you have that sign, it doesn't really matter what the rest of the building looks like. People are really only looking at the sign."

Arts and restaurant writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Iconic Diamond Grille sign back home in Akron after being refurbished