The Writing’s On the Wall

Bette Davis once said, “I’d luv ta kiss ya, but I just washed my hair.” The tough-talking, Academy Award-winning actress was born at 22 Chester Street in Lowell, Massachusetts. As one of the oldest cities in the Commonwealth, Lowell has been home to many notable and quotable people not only in entertainment but politics, military, law, academics, sports, science, arts and literature.

That’s why it was only fitting that Thorndike Exchange in historic downtown Lowell take motivational quotes from famous past residents as a starting point for their interior and exterior signage.  

A Sal Lupoli residential project, Thorndike Exchange is a refurbished old mill building transformed into a mixed-use destination with contemporary commercial space and a posh multi-story residential area. The concept establishes a vibrant live-work-play environment just minutes from major interstates and train stops with direct access to Boston.

Complementing the Client’s Concept

“This was a great design/build opportunity for Metro Sign & Awning,” says Elena of the Metro Sign & Awning design team. The project enabled Metro to provide complete project management from design, fabrication and installation to permit requests and labor relations.

Lupoli’s design/branding team provided the initial sketch of their vision. From there a start-to-finish branded signage package was created for both interior as well as exterior placement. The quotes were enlarged to cover one wall of the lounge area on each floor. A formal script type format was selected for the quote, finished with a large flourished signature below. For example, as you can see in the photo, there is a quote from Benjamin Butler, who was a Union general in the Civil War and governor of Massachusetts.

“A man, if he be active and energetic, can hardly fail. Also, be he never so selfish of benefiting the general public interest.” Benjamin Butler

The team continued the historic feel into the other signs such as building directories and signs for the dog run, restaurants, lounge, library, fitness facilities and rooftop garden. Plans are underway to extend the historic theme to exterior signage as well.

The project was exciting and well-executed thanks to the Lupoli team of Colin Middleton, Scott Moreau and Jaime Chemaly. Our own MSA team was led by Elena Berry and Jamie Potvin (Design/Development), and Mateo Galeano, Mick O’Shea and Mark Conserva (Permitting).

From fabricating sign letters in our own factory to envisioning your name in lights, we love signs. And you can quote us on that! We’re one of the few sign companies in New England with state-of-the-art design/build capabilities. That means we can solve your sign needs from inspiration to installation. To hear about some recent design/build partnerships and have a look at the projects we’re so proud of, visit our website.