Neighbors wonder what will become of bread sign atop factory

Its large, once glowing red letters no longer light up the neighborhood.

They haven't for years.

But the Wonder Bread sign just south of downtown Seattle still looms high atop the now defunct factory where the soft white bread was made for many years. That may end soon.

The property where it sits is for sale, and who knows where the sign will land.

Residents of the neighborhood want to have a say in the sign's future should it be forced to come down from the metal supports it has rested on for some 50 years.

"The sign should be appreciated for what it is — a wonderful piece of Americana," said Daniela McDonald, co-chair of the Jackson Place Community Council. "I mean, it's Wonder Bread. How much more American can you get?"

Fairfield Regional, which owns the property and had plans to develop it, put it up for sale a few weeks ago, said Mark Faulkner, a regional vice president for Fairfield.

Fairfield had planned for a mixed-use complex on the property, with retail on the street level and apartments above, Faulkner said. Any buyer would be expected to use that plan.

The development would likely require the removal of the sign as part of the demolition of the factory, he said.

Some residents would like to see the sign remain intact in the neighborhood.

Squire Park resident John Jeannot thinks the sign would be best in nearby Pratt Park. It would be an ideal way to start a sculpture gallery to bring more life and art to the park, he said.

Jeannot proposes tilting the "B" on its side so the sign would say "wonder read" — a good message, he says, to spread to the children who play in the park.

McDonald also thinks the sign should remain intact, but she has other ideas for where it should go. She has been talking with ArtSpace, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and creating spaces for artists.

She thinks ArtSpace may be the best home for the sign. It might be easily incorporated into the artist lofts the organization is developing at 875 Hiawatha Place S. The lofts will consist of 61 rental units of affordable living and work space for artists and their families, plus 6,000 square feet of commercial space.

Cathryn Vandenbrink, ArtSpace's regional director in Seattle, said getting the sign is a wonderful idea, but the idea is still on the drawing board. ArtSpace must make sure it is financially feasible, she said.

Bill Bradburd, co-chair of the Jackson Place Community Council, proposes splitting the sign, giving the "Wonder" section to the Seattle Urban League to place on the top of the African American Arts and Cultural Museum. He suggests that the "B" be removed from "Bread" and that the "read" portion be given to a school or library.

The Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI) has offered to store the sign until the neighborhood groups can afford to restore the sign and have decided where it should be placed.

MOHAI spokesman Feliks Banel said the Wonder Bread sign would fit right in, as MOHAI is home to many other industrial signs, including the old Rainier brewery "R" and the 2-½-story blue flame from the old Washington Natural Gas building.

The museum also is open to taking the sign permanently, Banel said.

But Banel and the residents would most like to see the sign left where it is. Neon signs should ideally "live where they were born," where everyone can readily enjoy them from their cars in passing, Banel said.

For the time being, those in the neighborhood can appreciate the sign where it is.

"The sign is very much a part of the neighborhood. People really remember the red glow," McDonald said.

Kayla Webley: 206-464-2391 or kwebley@seattletimes.com