How could Hart Plaza, downtown's riverfront cement patch, become even less likable? Advertising! According to the Free Press, Hart Plaza's old marquee sign will hit the dumpster in favor of a new LED sign, which will strobe advertisements and information from nearly 50 feet in the sky.
The ads are expected to generate cash for the city, but not a ton of it. One estimate pins the income at $10K-$20K per year—enough for the city to buy a compact car. The sign will also be used for emergency bulletins, like Amber Alerts or messages from the Department of Homeland Security. "Like your television broadcast in the outdoors to give you information," explains rec. department Director Alicia Minter.
Design details are under wraps, but we do know it will be "nearly 50 feet tall" and "contain modern video screens and graphics capabilities.
Does this situation sound a little bit familiar? The company pushing the new sign, Nonrahs, once tried to have humongous video signs installed at the Belle Isle Bridge in the name of Homeland Security. That rendering, shown below, reveals just how badly Nonrahs wants your eyeballs to vomit.
According to the Freep, we should expect the new signage to be installed sometime after Labor Day.
· Flashing and Excessive! The Belle Isle Billboard Proposal [Curbed]
· New high-tech Hart Plaza sign to welcome visitors [Freep]
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