Blade Sign Built to Last: How We Created the Custom Marquee Blade Sign for Hardware Apartments in Salt Lake City

When the team behind Hardware Apartments needed a sign that could hold its own against the building's century-old brick facade, they came to us. What we built was one of the most striking blade signs we've ever produced: a massive double-sided illuminated marquee blade sign spelling out HARDWARE in bold vertical letters, ringed with warm LED bulbs, and mounted to the side of the historic Salt Lake Hardware Building in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. Below the main sign body, a smaller panel reads Apartments and Leasing.

A Historic Building Reborn

The Salt Lake Hardware Building has been a fixture of downtown Salt Lake City since 1909. Its aged brick facade, towering wood-beamed ceilings, and original water tower have been carefully restored to anchor the Hardware Apartments community - a luxury residential development featuring penthouses, lofts, studios, one- and two-bedroom apartments, and stunning two-story brownstone row houses. Managed by Greystar, Hardware Apartments has earned recognition as a top-1% property by online reputation nationwide and took home the 2019 Utah Apartment Association Best Leasing Lobby/Clubhouse Award and the CCIM 2019 Development of the Year.

The building deserved a sign that matched that legacy. A standard flat panel or backlit cabinet simply would not do.

The Sign: A Blade Built for the Street

A blade sign projects perpendicular from a building's face, designed to be read from down the street rather than head-on. For Hardware Apartments, we built a large-scale vertical blade sign with the word HARDWARE stacked letter by letter down the face of the sign body, each letter illuminated from within and ringed with warm LED bulbs that cast that unmistakable warm amber glow.

The shop photo tells the story before installation. The installed photo - shot at golden hour against the Wasatch Mountains - shows exactly why this kind of sign is worth every bit of the investment. It does not just identify the building. It becomes the building.

If you are developing a mixed-use property, apartment community, hotel, or commercial building and want signage that commands attention from the street, explore our custom blade and exterior marquee signs at https://inventory.vintagemarqueelights.com or visit https://vintagemarqueelights.com to start your custom quote.

Hey @hardwareapartments - your sign looks incredible. Tag us when you share it!

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