Secret century-old Long Branch Coca-Cola advertisement saved; now you can see it up close
LONG BRANCH - It appears as if a recently revealed massive Coca-Cola sign is going to be saved, but exactly where its new resting place will be is still to be determined.
The owner of the building at 22 Third Ave., where it was recently discovered, has given it to the city to preserve, Mayor John Pallone said. He said city officials haven't decided yet where they're going to put it, but due to the buzz created by the discovery of century-old painted wall ad in nearly mint condition, the city is going to display it from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the new Health & Technology Center at 131 Bath Ave.
See the sign, grab a Coke and a slice
The public is welcome to come and view the ad, along with free Cokes and pizza, as supplies last.
The Coca-Cola ad was found after Prime City, the owners of 20 Third Ave., demolished the former SICA building earlier this month to make way for new apartment lofts and ground-floor retail. The wall sign was on the adjacent building, but had been covered since at least 1940, when the former building at 20 Third Ave. was constructed.
How it started: Century-old Coca-Cola ad emerges in Long Branch. Can it be saved before it vanishes again?
The location of the building and the future lofts is in the middle of the Lower Broadway Redevelopment Zone and is dotted with late 19th- and early 20th-century architecture that today houses Latin cuisine restaurants, thrift shops, a church and a grandiose U.S. Post Office.
Pallone said there was about two inches of space between the two buildings, which is why the sign is in such good condition after all these years. He said city officials held a Zoom call with Coca-Cola archivists and they believe the ad dates to around 1910 due to the colors used in it, the trademark in the tail and the slogan "Relieves Fatigue," which was in use then.
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The 1910s is around the time Coca-Cola started spending money for ads on walls. In 1913, Coca-Cola, which was first created in 1886, spent $259,499 on painted wall signs. Pallone said the company's representatives said they had several hundred signs done in New Jersey alone. Just how many of those, if any, are left, is not clear.
Sign 'staying in Long Branch'
"It’s great that it’s staying in Long Branch. It was removed faster than I imagined it would be just a couple of weeks ago," local Red Bank artist Michael White said.
White, who moved to Red Bank from Long Island four years ago, paints old landmarks and has added the Coca-Cola sign to his collection, along with the "evil clown," a Middletown landmark from the mid-1950s used to promote Food Circus, which later became Foodtown.
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White was also alerted to another surviving wall sign at 72 Bridge Ave. in Red Bank. This ad, not nearly as well-preserved as the Coca-Cola sign, is an ad for Wrigley's Spearmint gum. The paint has fused to the brick, White said.
Pallone said Prime City took the Coca-Cola ad down piece by piece and numbered the boards so that it could be easier to put back them together in order when a permanent home is found.
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When Jersey Shore native Dan Radel is not reporting the news, you can find him in a college classroom where he is a history professor. Reach him @danielradelapp; 732-643-4072; dradel@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Century-old Long Branch NJ Coca-Cola ad saved; how to see it
