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Show Iconic neon sign blazes back to life on Historic 25th Street By MARK SAAL Standard-Examiner staff OGDEN — The folks on Historic 25th Street haven't been this excited since the repeal of Prohibition. They're calling it "Return of the Dragon," and it's not just a classic Bruce Lee martial-arts film. It's also a well-deserved party for a long-very-nearly-lost friend. The neon dragon sign that for more than 60 years loomed over the Star Noodle Parlor on 25th Street is finally back where it belongs. On Monday, crews from YESCO, the company that built the original sign, returned the dragon to its rightful place on the famed downtown Ogden street — whence it had been missing since 2008. And now, on Friday, Feb. 6, a "Return of the Dragon" celebration is planned. At 5 p.m., refreshments will be served at the building at 225 Historic 25th St., including a "reinvention" of the famed shrimp salad that the Star Noodle Parlor used to serve. Then, at 5:30 p.m., comes the moment folks have been anticipating for more than six years: Following brief speeches by the appropriate dignitaries, the dragon will officially blaze back to life when a switch is thrown, exciting the dragon's colorful neon tubes. Carolyn Brierley, executive director of the Historic 25th Street Business Association, said her association's members are all abuzz about the return of the neon dragon to its rightful place on the famed street. "It's pretty exciting," Brierley said. "This is really a famous sign; I had no idea it was such an iconic landmark, even outside Utah. I think it's going to bring us several visitors. We're excited it's going back in." In 2007, the Star Noodle Parlor building was sold, and the following year the dragon was removed for renovations to the sign and the facade. The dragon was supposed to go back up on the building later that year, but instead went into storage. "It was going to be a temporary removal, to find out what was behind the fake storefront," said Greg Montgomery, planning manager for Ogden City. "But then the economy went in a different direction." What was going to be a quick turnaround dragged on for months, and then years. "We were just waiting for the economy to turn," explained building owner Thaine Fischer. According to Montgomery, the building went up in 1912, and housed both live theater, and later, a projection theater. It was originally called the Revere Theater. The following year it became the Cherry Theater, and then from 1914 to 1933 it was the Rex Theater, Montgomery said. It became Star Noodle Parlor in 1948. The dragon sign wasn't a part of the original building, so it didn't qualify for historical status — and therefore any financial help through tax credits, according to Montgomery. As a result, Fischer admits renovating the dragon was "very expensive." "The sign itself is an iconic sign for the community," Fischer said. "Unfortunately, it doesn't meet the criteria for a historical sign.... It's iconic, but not historical," So then, why restore it? "It was a community investment," Fischer said. "When we bought the building, we loved the sign. It's just an iconic sign that we love." For its part, the Landmarks Commission just wanted to make sure the dragon returned to 25th Street, Montgomery said. "What the Landmarks Commission didn't want was for the See DRAGON, Page 14A |
