Just over two years after Bigelow Cleaners closed its doors following 90 years of operation in Newton Centre, the iconic neon sign that graced the building’s facade since 1957 is slated for removal as part of a major renovation project at the corner of Langley Road and Sumner Street.
The building permit for the renovation at 215-217 Sumner Street includes a contract agreement dated August 3, 2025, between General Contractor Eli Ayash and property owner Joan Kollingian (Sherburn Realty LLC) that calls for the contractor to “cut sign into smaller sections and remove” the historic marker as part of a $68,600 renovation that will merge the former dry cleaner space with an adjacent unit. Renovation work has begun, with the new structural beam already in place.
The removal of the sign marks the end of an era for what historian Arthur Krim once described as “one of the best neon script examples from the classic 1950s period in the suburban Boston area.”
A sign with history
In 1999, Krim, founder of the Society for Commercial Archeology, researched the origins of the sign using Newton City Hall building permits. He determined that the distinctive neon sign facing Langley Road was constructed on August 9, 1957, by Signs Inc. of Dorchester. At the time, Krim praised the restoration efforts that had preserved the landmark, noting it restored “a landmark sign to Newton Centre, among the best neon script examples from the classic 1950s period in the suburban Boston area.”
The building itself dates to 1933, when it first operated as O’Donnell Cleaners. Joe Sheman established Bigelow Cleaners that same year at a different location on Beacon Street, moving the business to the current building in 1945. The painted panels below the neon sign were installed in 1959 by the Sheer Sign Co. of Waltham and remain in place.
The end of an era
When brothers John and Peter Stavropoulos closed Bigelow Cleaners on August 31, 2023, after operating the family business for 42 years, they expressed hope that the sign would remain. As Fig City News reported at the time, “The brothers plan to leave the neon sign in place and believe that permits might be required to remove it, given its historical nature.”
The renovation project includes significant structural work: opening approximately 40 feet of brick wall up to the roof joists, installing structural beams, and creating two ADA-compliant bathrooms back-to-back.
