Historic Building Sign Removal

When a sign is painted onto a historic downtown building and needs to be removed, it is of utmost importance to protect the history and quality of the brick while still removing all the paint.

In 2019, Shindigz Party Supply Company moved its corporate headquarters to the fourth-floor at Harrison Place, located at 919 S Harrison Street, Fort Wayne, Indiana. After the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, the business started with a temporary closure but unfortunately closed its doors for good at the end of 2021.

But Shindigz left something behind. 

Shindigz was a well-known company in the area. To highlight their success and presence, they painted their logo on the historic building so it could be seen by traffic along Harrison and Wayne Streets. As the building went under new ownership, the sign needed to be removed safely and efficiently from the 100-year-old building.

That’s where TI Source came in.

Partnering with Environmental Management Specialists, TI Source spearheaded the project using a walnut blasting technique to remove the paint from the building while still leaving the bricks intact. Walnut blasting is a process to treat carbon build-up. With compressed air and crushed walnut shells, outdoor paint can be removed more gently than with more commonly seen sandblasting.

Over the course of just two days, the sign was completely removed, leaving the building looking fresh and clean. With leadership from TI Source and partnership with Environmental Management Specialists, the building at 919 S Harrison Street is back to looking as fresh as ever and can be maintained for another hundred years.