Cincinnati’s American Sign Museum
The American Sign Museum at Camp Washington has about 800 signs.
The building may be a little hard to find, hidden in an industrial area in Cincinnati’s Camp Washington neighborhood, but the American Sign Museum is a real gem dedicated to the art and history of commercial signs and sign making.
“We are the largest public sign museum in the country,” said Executive Director David Dupee in a recent phone interview. “Our mission is to honor America’s sign history through education and preservation.”
Walk under the giant statue holding a welcome sign in a sea of neon lights. The museum – which welcomed 60,000 visitors in 2023 – covers more than 100 years of American sign history in an expanded 37,000-square-foot space.
New wing also serves as museum sign and extends the “main street”
On July 13, a new wing of the museum was opened, doubling its size and using the entire space of the building.
Dupee said the expansion includes an extension of the museum’s Main Street, the museum’s main exhibit that recreates a nostalgic piece of American culture.
“It really gives the feel of a main street and a trip back in time,” he said.
In addition to the new signs along the Main Street extension, the new space will include a 300-person event space, a classroom and a theater. Dupee said the theater is a replica of an old movie theater that uses a canopy from New Hampshire. It can be used as an educational space as well as for private events.
Take a tour: The American Sign Museum almost doubles in size with the new expansion
The History of the American Sign Museum
The museum was founded in 1999 as the National Signs of the Times Museum by Tod Swormstedt, a former editor of Signs of the Times magazine. According to the museum’s website, it was a self-described “midlife crisis project” for Swormstedt, who worked at the magazine for 26 years.
As support grew, the museum was renamed the American Sign Museum in 2005 and reopened in an arts center. However, with space at a premium, the museum found a new location in the century-old Oesterlein Machine Company-Fashion Frocks, Inc. Complex in Camp Washington. The new location opened its doors in 2012.
David Dupee has been in office since April and brings experience in the small business sector
Dupee joined the museum as executive director in late April and has since focused on getting the new wing up and running.
When he started, he was surprised at how close the new wing was to completion. The museum’s $5.4 million capital campaign had been completed and construction was nearly complete.
“That’s a credit to the team that was here,” said Dupee, including Swormstedt.
According to an article in Sign Builder Illustrated, Dupee, an attorney and Cincinnati native, has spent the past decade “founding and growing mission-driven organizations.” Dupee co-founded Good City Brewing in Milwaukee and advised Wisconsin lawmakers on a bill to create the first in-state crowdfunding exemption, allowing companies to raise up to $1 million from state investors through crowdfunding portals without having to meet state registration requirements.
Thanks to these experiences as an entrepreneur, Dupee has recognized the challenges that come with growth. He now plans to apply those lessons to the museum’s expansion. Growth is exciting, he says, but it has to be growth that is based on a mission. His plan is to help develop a vision for the new wing.
What’s next for the American Sign Museum?
During his first few months on the job, Dupee focused on getting the new wing ready for launch. With the opening, Dupee is now turning his attention to the future.
His focus is on developing a new strategic plan for the museum, he said, but first he is giving himself a few months to see how guests interact with the new collections in the new space.
Dupee also wants to highlight Cincinnati more in the museum’s brand to establish the city as a center for signage and branding.
“We want to reflect on our roots in Cincinnati,” he said.
How does the museum acquire its pieces?
The museum is looking for signs to add to its 4,000-piece collection as well as those to be donated, Dupee said.
However, the majority – about 95% according to Dupee’s estimate – comes from its founder Swormstedt.
“He is a true visionary when it comes to our collection and the way we approach exhibiting and acquiring new pieces,” Dupee said.
What are the best signs in the collection?
Everyone has a different opinion about the best sign in the museum, Dupee said. Often it’s something that’s related to the museum’s past or is of historical interest.
For Dupee, it’s the Howard Johnson’s sign in the original wing. The sign is very dear to his heart, he said, because of the summers he spent in Connecticut staying at a HoJo’s.
Another sign – this one in the new wing – that has a personal connection to Dupee is the sign for Johnny’s Big Red Grill of Ithaca, New York. The 21-foot-tall sign dates to the mid-1950s, when Dupee’s grandfather was a student at Cornell University in that city.
