Heritage Commission Approves Restoration of Historic Champlain Oil Sign at Fourth and Iron
The Salina Heritage Commission has approved a certificate of appropriateness for the refurbishment and restoration of the historic Champlin Oil sign located at the corner of Fourth Street and Iron Avenue.
The application, filed by Charles Renz on behalf of JGR Architects, requested approval to restore the historically designated sign that has been a fixture at the location since the mid-20th century.
According to information presented at the meeting, the building at the southwest corner of Iron Avenue and Fourth Street was formerly a gasoline service station constructed by Huntington Oil Wholesalers in 1931.
Champlin Oil Service was affiliated with the business from 1952 to 1957.
The pole sign was designated as a historic sign in 1999 after then-owner Abner Perney discovered that the original Champlin Oil panels were intact on the reverse sides of panels that had been repainted for his business, Abner's Autos.
The Salina Educational Automotive Museum of America (The Garage) has since purchased the property and plans to incorporate it as part of their expansion project.
The restoration plan includes:
- Temporarily removing the sign for refurbishment
- Repairing the existing perimeter sign components
- Replacing the existing light housing with LED lights to uplight the round portion of the sign
- Removing rust and repainting the vertical metal post and base
- Repairing damaged conduit for proper wiring
- Returning the sign to its original location once restored
"The intent is to refurbish the sign," Renz told the commission. "We have the original piece of metal that broke off on that light housing. They are planning on refurbishing that piece and having it powder coated and weatherproofed."
The Heritage Commission unanimously approved the certificate of appropriateness, finding that the proposed restoration aims to retain and preserve the historic features and materials of the sign while protecting its general structure and historic appearance.