LUMI Neon Museum Signage
LUMI Neon Museum Signage
Sign Design: Dudley Burt
Logo design: Meryl Vedros of Vedros Studio
Sign Company: Element Ten
Sign builders: Randy Steinmetz, Dylan Steinmetz, Olivia Shelton
Cabinet Design-and-build: Wolf 21
Cabinet Fabricator: John Mann
Sign Installation: Midwest Sign
LUMI began saving vintage neon in early 2017. It would be 2024 before we finally shined a light on ourselves.
With his bright idea to rescue the 1946 Crick Camera sign in 2017, Nick Vedros provided the vision and the mission to “Save the Kansas City Neon”. The resulting LUMI Neon Museum Kansas City is a hard working 501(c)(3) non-profit, determined to rescue, restore, preserve and display iconic neon signs from businesses in and around the Kansas City area. This neon sign will stand at the entrance to the LUMI Neon Museum.
Until 2020, we had no real place to call home. Then, along came another visionary idea from real estate developer Vince Bryant of 3D Development—Pennway Point KC, Kansas City’s newest entertainment district. Nestled in the heart of Kansas City’s west crossroads area and home to the Kansas City Wheel, live music, libation, indoor and outdoor event spaces, dining done Kansas City style and now, Lumi’s Neon Alley, it’s the perfect venue to display our collection. How cool it is to incorporate a neon museum visit with your next live concert, drinks with friends or dinner out with the family! Fun, entertaining and educational—it’s what LUMI is all about.
It takes a mid-century classic to design one. So, who better than midtown-Kansas City native, graphic designer and LUMI board member, Dudley Burt to design our LUMI neon sign? Channeling his innate mid-century mojo, Dudley encircled our clear gold LUMI wordmark (created for us by international designer Meryl Vedros) with ruby red neon. He wrapped its energizing tilt in gold neon bands (a modified bullnose in neon speak,) further enhancing its classic attention-drawing power. The result is a clean, clear and classic beacon certain to merit as much respect and admiration as the collection it represents.
Under the direction of Kansas City neon studio Element Ten, as many as 12 individuals contributed to building our LUMI sign. Neon expert and longtime LUMI friend, Randy Steinmetz, along with son and daughter Dylan Steinmetz and Olivia Shelton, oversaw sign creation, neon tube bending and neon installation. Significant applied geometry and numerous digital renderings preceded the complicated cabinet build by John Mann of Wolf 21, a Kansas City design-and-build fabricator. Constructed of automotive steel, powder coated inside and out, our sign is built to be with us a long time. We always knew our neon museum would need a sign of its own. How could it be anything but Kansas City-built?
For LUMI, our neon is more than the entrance to Neon Alley. It’s the culmination of LUMI vision, imagination, organization, negotiation and certification, backed by seven years of heavy lifting, deinstallation, restoration, reinstallation and finally, illumination.
LUMI is indebted to all our sign’s collaborators for their enthusiasm, energy and expertise.
Sign Design: Dudley Burt
Logo design: Meryl Vedros of Vedros Studio
Sign Company: Element Ten
Sign builders: Randy Steinmetz, Dylan Steinmetz, Olivia Shelton
Cabinet Design-and-build: Wolf 21
Cabinet Fabricator: John Mann
Sign Installation: Midwest Sign
LUMI began saving vintage neon in early 2017. It would be 2024 before we finally shined a light on ourselves.
With his bright idea to rescue the 1946 Crick Camera sign in 2017, Nick Vedros provided the vision and the mission to “Save the Kansas City Neon”. The resulting LUMI Neon Museum Kansas City is a hard working 501(c)(3) non-profit, determined to rescue, restore, preserve and display iconic neon signs from businesses in and around the Kansas City area. This neon sign will stand at the entrance to the LUMI Neon Museum.
Until 2020, we had no real place to call home. Then, along came another visionary idea from real estate developer Vince Bryant of 3D Development—Pennway Point KC, Kansas City’s newest entertainment district. Nestled in the heart of Kansas City’s west crossroads area and home to the Kansas City Wheel, live music, libation, indoor and outdoor event spaces, dining done Kansas City style and now, Lumi’s Neon Alley, it’s the perfect venue to display our collection. How cool it is to incorporate a neon museum visit with your next live concert, drinks with friends or dinner out with the family! Fun, entertaining and educational—it’s what LUMI is all about.
It takes a mid-century classic to design one. So, who better than midtown-Kansas City native, graphic designer and LUMI board member, Dudley Burt to design our LUMI neon sign? Channeling his innate mid-century mojo, Dudley encircled our clear gold LUMI wordmark (created for us by international designer Meryl Vedros) with ruby red neon. He wrapped its energizing tilt in gold neon bands (a modified bullnose in neon speak,) further enhancing its classic attention-drawing power. The result is a clean, clear and classic beacon certain to merit as much respect and admiration as the collection it represents.
Under the direction of Kansas City neon studio Element Ten, as many as 12 individuals contributed to building our LUMI sign. Neon expert and longtime LUMI friend, Randy Steinmetz, along with son and daughter Dylan Steinmetz and Olivia Shelton, oversaw sign creation, neon tube bending and neon installation. Significant applied geometry and numerous digital renderings preceded the complicated cabinet build by John Mann of Wolf 21, a Kansas City design-and-build fabricator. Constructed of automotive steel, powder coated inside and out, our sign is built to be with us a long time. We always knew our neon museum would need a sign of its own. How could it be anything but Kansas City-built?
For LUMI, our neon is more than the entrance to Neon Alley. It’s the culmination of LUMI vision, imagination, organization, negotiation and certification, backed by seven years of heavy lifting, deinstallation, restoration, reinstallation and finally, illumination.
LUMI is indebted to all our sign’s collaborators for their enthusiasm, energy and expertise.
