Welcome ‘Home’ to 2024, Old Brooklyn!
Thursday, February 1, 2024
A new year brings changes to calendars, resolutions for new habits, and a flood of emails from coworkers and our favorite brands who are just ‘circling back’ from their last contact in 2023. But that’s not all this new year brings! For Old Brooklyn, 2024 will feature new Gateway Welcome Signs as well!
Neighborhood-specific gateway signage is used to identify major entrances to a city neighborhood. These signs promote branding of a neighborhood and serve as navigational tools. The new Old Brooklyn signs, seen here and in more detail on the blog, will feature an updated, emboldened, and clean version of the neighborhood’s brand to clearly shout out this great neighborhood! These signs are meant to be friendly ambassadors for our community -- like a neighbor or a friend greeting you after you haven’t seen them in a while.
Currently, the neighborhood has seven gateway signs welcoming residents, business owners, and travelers to the neighborhood. Those signs were installed more than a decade ago, in part to commemorate the bicentennial of the hamlet of Brighton which was established in 1814 around the current intersection of Pearl and Broadview Roads. You may have noticed these signs as you pass into the neighborhood for the past 10 years. They have, however, faded from exposure to the sun and harsh elements of many Cleveland winters as you can see in the current pictures.
In some locations, these gateway signs are the first thing that shows you have exited an adjacent suburb and entered the City of Cleveland. For this reason, the addition of “Cleveland” below the neighborhood of “Old Brooklyn” has been added to the new design, signifying the city itself. In addition to the diamond logo, a new banner that will be placed below the main sign features the words “Welcome Home.”
As Ward 13 Councilman Kris Harsh explains, "'Welcome Home' is meant to speak to former and future residents and business owners in the neighborhood, so many of whom live in the neighborhoods and suburbs right next to Old Brooklyn. Whether they are looking for their first home or visiting an old friend, we want to welcome with open arms everyone who visits the neighborhood."
OBCDC is working on various projects in addition to the Gateway Welcome Sign refresh to increase the visibility of the neighborhood in creative ways! Much of this work will focus on highlighting Old Brooklyn and working with local designers and artists, while seeking input from residents and business owners on these and future projects.
Be sure to check out the new signs when they are installed later this year and stay on the lookout for more displays of Old Brooklyn pride popping up in the neighborhood throughout 2024!