Questions regarding street corner name signs of the 1950's

[shovelhead]

Below is a link to one of these black & white signs at Moross and Tyrone St.

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.4227...YFUK6LYo6g!2e0

These signs are also at Moross/Payton St. and Moross/Roxbury St.

That appears to be a black background with white lettering. That brought back memories of one at Grand River and Pierson, south side of Grand River on the eastbound side. I noticed that sign as it stood out in late 1969 as I was traveling that part of Grand River quite frequently for a few months then. That was the only one like that I ever saw and always wondered why it was like that.

[EASTSIDE CAT 67-83]

Purple Hayes.......

Hotel Tango....Purple Hays...how does one's mind work in such brilliant ways...You da man

[Honky Tonk]

Hotel Tango....Purple Hays...how does one's mind work in such brilliant ways...You da man

It hurts sometimes......

[mtburb]

The Detroit street signs of that era were lettered in FHWA Series C, the usual street/highway sign font. It's not publicly available, but there are many good approximations, including Interstate by Hoefler & Frere-Jones. Interstate Regular Compressed or Bold Compressed would be the closest: http://www.fontbureau.com/fonts/Interstate/styles/

Actually, there is a font set that's called "Roadgeek 2005" that includes a recreation of Series C and more.

http://www.fontspace.com/michael-d-adams/roadgeek-2005

[LarryC39]

I spent a lot of time making some recreations of these signs, overlaying many sketches on photographs.

The white ones were either made from several standard lengths of sign or "cut to length." Several places still sell square-cut 6" sign blades, but only in a few lengths such as 18", 28", and 30" [[a few other sizes too.)

Series C is USUALLY the best match, however not all signs of that era were done with that font. At least not the modern Federal Highway fonts [[The Roadgeek and similar are based off 2000 or so standards.) Most notably differences from Detroit signs are seein in letters like A, C, G, and S. The crossbar of the A is too high, and the ends of C/G/S should be beveled, not horizontal.

For the borders, I left 1/4" of white on all four sides. The upper and lower lines I made 1/4" thick. The vertical bars I made 5/8" wide. For the fillets in the four corners I used a 1/2" radius. For the font, I centered it on the sign and adjusted the size until it was physically 4" tall lettering. I believe they came out pretty close.

[jlnascar]

I saw one of the signs you were looking for this weekend on the west side, still in original condition, it can even still be viewed in a google street view, west parkway and wadsworth

https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=42.4...lassic&dg=ntvb

[LarryC39]

EDIT: I looked at an original sign I just found today. All my previous statements are correct EXCEPT the vertical bars are 1/2" wide not 5/8" wide.

[EastsideAl]

I saw one of the signs you were looking for this weekend on the west side, still in original condition, it can even still be viewed in a google street view, west parkway and wadsworth

https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=42.4...lassic&dg=ntvb

Wow, great discovery. Was still there at least in July 2013.

[mtburb]

Wow, great discovery. Was still there at least in September 2014.

Corrected according to the date of the post you quoted, but that's not through Google Street View though, since the Ambassador Bridge still has the only 2014 Street View images within the Detroit city limits.

[Király]

You might say there have been four versions of the green signs: FHWA Series C, no border, no number; FHWA Series C, no border, with number; Clearview 1-W, white border, wide-spaced; Clearview 2-W, white border, narrow-spaced [[the current issue). http://www.terminaldesign.com/fonts/...mplete-family/

When were the green signs with the block number in use? There was one still up at Eastern and Chope in July 2009 when the Google car drove by.

[mtburb]

When were the green signs with the block number in use? There was one still up at Eastern and Chope in July 2009 when the Google car drove by.

That actually reminds me-earlier this month while I was doing something entirely different I accidentally stumbled upon a green sign [[the one that was used before the ones with the block numbers) on the I-75 service drive just southwest off of Fort Street next to the Fleetwood container site that was still up as of four months ago. Here's a closeup taken in September 2013.

[Király]

Found another one.

2013 Google street view of Concord and Nuernberg
Check out the 2011 Google Street view to see the likely reason it was missed!

[mtburb]

This reminds me...here's another white sign that even I didn't notice for many years until just a few months ago myself.

-Street View image of "<- CONWAY" sign on South Fort Street from 2016.
-Street View from 2007 showing that it was still black-on-white then. This 2013 view shows that it was already starting to invert colors.

[Detroit Signal]

FORT-CONWAY by Detroit Signal, on Flickr

[Király]

The old black and white Wadsworth and West Parkway signs have been replaced with new style ones.

But The 4-block stretch of Wadsworth between Virgil and Hazelton still has the old style green ones showing on the August 2018 Google Street View

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.3744...7i13312!8i6656

[mtburb]

But The 4-block stretch of Wadsworth between Virgil and Hazelton still has the old style green ones showing on the August 2018 Google Street View

Those signs you make mention of were actually installed by Wayne County. Street signs in Wayne County townships [[such as Redford, which is where that 4-block stretch is located) are county responsibility.

[Király]

Doh! Just outside city limits. Thanks for the info.

[Pontiac6000]

Maybe they are from Redford- don't look like the solid green Detroit ones.

With that, all the black and whites are gone now...