The El Rancho Boulder Motel sign, which has been standing for more than 50 years, was brought down by winds on Christmas Day.
Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2008 | 2:43 p.m.
The El Rancho Boulder Motel sign, erected in 1953, is now sitting idly in the parking lot after toppling amid heavy winds on Christmas Day.
Motel manager Eric Atkinson said it fell between 6 and 7 p.m. Dec. 25 during the rainy weather. For now its future remains uncertain.
Replacing the sign would entail a drastic reduction in size, because city code no longer permits signs of that size, Atkinson said. A replacement, he said, would have to be 4-by-8 feet, similar to the Super 8 sign.
The El Rancho sign, which Atkinson estimated at 20-by-20 feet, was grandfathered in under newer regulations.
"We're still determining what we're doing," he said. "We have to go through the city, insurance and contractors and decide the best thing to do about it."
No one was hurt, Atkinson said, and no property was damaged from the collapse.
"We were very fortunate nothing happened," he said.
Dave Clark can be reached at 990-2677 or [email protected].
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