The Abridged Version:
- The W.F. Gormley & Sons Funeral Chapel neon sign was removed Tuesday morning by Pacific Neon Company. It will move with the business to a new location on Riverside Boulevard in Land Park.
- The sign was restored in 2017 and may be entered into the Sacramento Register of Historic and Cultural Resources. It would be the first neon sign inducted into the register.
- The removal represents another shift in the changing texture of Midtown Sacramento.
A different kind of memorial service took place early Tuesday morning at W.F. Gormley & Sons Funeral Chapel.
After nearly a century in Midtown Sacramento, the iconic neon sign outside of the building at Capitol Avenue and 21st Street was removed, representing another shift in the changing texture of the Midtown neighborhood where it glowed. The sign’s removal also marks the end of a century-long era for the Gormleys as they move to a new location.
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But the business isn’t turning its back on the past.
Along with stained glass and pews from the chapel, the neon sign will be restored and reinstalled at the new location on Riverside Boulevard in Land Park. And the locally-iconic neon sign could become the first signage entered into a local historic register.
A longtime family business
Since 1897, W.F. Gormley & Sons Funeral Chapel has remained in the hands of the Gormley family. The Midtown building was the Gormley’s third location. It broke ground in 1922 but the sign wasn’t built until the 1930s, according to Ryan Drury from Pacific Neon Company, the group responsible for the removal and reinstallation.
The Pacific Neon team worked with local historian Ella Cross to pinpoint a date of origin for the work of mid-century craftmanship.
Pacific Neon helped restore the sign in 2017 after years without light. Now Pacific Neon will clean the sign at its shop before bringing it to its new home in Land Park.
“We want to bring over a little of our history, and this sign is definitely a part of that” said owner Patrick Gormley.
The Sacramento Bee reported that in February the building was sold to developer Pappas Investments. Gormley said that the funeral business has changed a lot over the years and the Midtown building is larger than they need and requires much maintenance. In mid-September they will move to the previous location of another longtime family run funeral home, George L. Klumpp Chapel of Flowers.
The changing landscape of Midtown
The removal of the porcelain enamel and neon sign represents another change to the aesthetic of Midtown. Buildings are demolished and built new and businesses change but historic signs can remain as cultural markers for the community.
Both past and present are represented in the architecture of the neighborhood. The city’s historic preservation teams understand the importance of this signage and are now looking to enter the Gormley piece into the Sacramento Register of Historic and Cultural Resources. It marks an important shift as it would be the first piece of signage in the collection. The entry is in a 10-day appeal period.
As the last bolts holding the sign in place were coming out, Patrick Gormley Jr., the next generation owner and operator of the funeral home, stood beneath and watched the family brand come down from where it was for nearly a century.
“Yeah, it’s a sign,” he said. “But it’s also a piece of art.”
