The Neon Museum of Philadelphia is closing its doors as it searches for a new home

Soon Philadelphia’s vanishing neon history will burn no more — at least until it can find a new home.

The Neon Museum of Philadelphia said on Friday that it will close its space at the NextFab Building in December. The location, where the museum opened in April 2021, was envisioned as a permanent home after decades of searching for somewhere to display the celebrated collection of vintage Philly neon.

“After almost two years of love and light, we’re sad to announce that the Neon Museum of Philadelphia is closing its doors,” the museum posted on its Instagram page. “As we near the end of our run, we celebrate the opportunity we’ve had to display our collection of history and art with visitors from Philadelphia and beyond.”

The museum is already searching for somewhere new where it can display its curious collection of neon signage and advertisements relics and other glowing oddities, which all seem to beckon to a bygone Philadelphia and tell the story of the city’s lost commercial past.

“We’re seeking a new home for the collection that allows it to stay unified, local, and publicly accessible,” the museum said in its statement. “Ideally, partnership with a local institution could make this dream possible.”

Alyssa Shea, the museum manager, said conversations are happening with local institutions that could provide support and space for the museum, but no agreements are close to being made.

A number of factors led to the museum’s decision to close, Shea said. The challenges of opening during the pandemic, combined with the struggle of making it as a nonprofit.

“We are just really focused on doing our ideal best for this collection,” she said.

The museum has long been the passion of its founder, Len Davidson, 75, a neon restorer and designer, who amassed his collection over decades. It includes the blaring neon advertisements for long-gone neighborhood spots called the Goat Hollow Bar and Samuel Sanders Smoked Meats and signs for more iconic Philly businesses, like Bookbinder’s, Pep Boys, Horn and Hardart’s, and the Levis Hot Dogs on Lombard Street. Davidson, who first learned the craft of neon design after earning a doctorate in sociology and teaching at the University of Florida, views the medium as valued art and history.

Since returning to his native Philly in 1979, he has helped repair classic Philly neon, like the Boot & Saddle sign on South Broad, while becoming a local expert. In 1999, he published the book Vintage Neon. After establishing the museum in 1985, he tried for years to find a permanent home for his collection, including in a space at Pier 9 along the Delaware River Waterfront and in a Kensington warehouse.

Before lighting up his neon at the NextFab Building on North American Street, Davidson showed pieces of his collection at the Philadelphia Center for Architecture and Drexel University.

Shea and other staff at the museum on Friday said Davidson was too emotional to talk — and that staff was trying to remain positive.

“We do celebrate that we had a beautiful run of having the collection together,” she said.

The museum will continue with regular weekend hours until Dec. 11, when the lights go out, and the signs go dim.

Shea encouraged Philadelphians to enjoy the glow of the signs while they still can.

“We want to encourage people to come visit while we’re still here … take in Philly history in such a unique way.”