Boot & Saddle neon sign in South Philly receives historic protection

The neon sign at South Philadelphia’s Boot & Saddle imbues its stretch of Broad Street with character and illumination. It’s done so for more than 60 years — with lengthy interludes for economic distress and viral outbreak.

On Friday, the Philadelphia Historical Commission voted to designate the two-story sign as historically significant in a bid to ensure that it will continue glowing for decades to come.

“It’s not hyperbole to say this is one of the very best examples of a commercial neon sign in the city that is still active and illuminated,” said Patrick Grossi, director of advocacy for the Preservation Alliance. “It’s undeniably an established and familiar feature on the South Broad Street corridor.”

The Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia nominated the sign as a historically significant object. It cannot be substantially altered or demolished without regulatory approval.

Although Philadelphia allows objects to be historically protected, very few are. Other examples include the Wanamaker Eagle in the Macy’s next to City Hall and the Works Progress Administration murals in the old Family Court building.

But only the Boot & Saddle sign will be protected, not the building it is attached to, which is on South Broad Street near Ellsworth Street. If an owner decided to tear down the building, that owner would have to offer the commission a good-faith plan to preserve the sign.

The sign could be reattached to a new building on the site or moved elsewhere. The designation also gives the commission some jurisdiction over the upkeep and maintenance of the sign, hopefully ensuring that it never falls into a state of disrepair.

To be clear, there are no known plans to demolish the building, where a new business called Solar Myth recently opened as a coffee shop, wine bar, and concert venue. The successful nomination is meant to ensure the sign’s safety no matter what happens in the future.

The property owner, Frank Del Borrello, did not attend the Historical Commission meeting, but his son, who manages the building day to day, was there and said the family supports the nomination.

“It’s a great honor that my grandfather’s legacy is still being remembered to this day,” Justin Del Borrello said. “It’s cool that it’s being nominated as a historic landmark in Philadelphia.”

The Boot & Saddle dates to 1950, when Pete Del Borrello established the honky-tonk as a hangout for workers at the Navy Yard. The sign notably looks like the Italian peninsula, highlighting the background of the owner’s family and the ethnic character of the neighborhood. Later that decade, he commissioned the neon addition from Angelo Colavita, who ran a sign design and craftsmanship business called Colonial Signs with his brothers.

The authors of the nomination noted that in the 1950s and 1960s, neon signs were a way for small-business owners to highlight the fact that they intended to stick around.

“Neon became a popular investment for advertising purposes as many families at the time anticipated handing down their establishments to the next generation who, too, would benefit from a neon sign’s advertising,” the nomination read.

The craftsmanship put into the Boot & Saddle sign was among the finest in the city, the authors argued, consisting of a porcelain enamel facade and stainless steel frame. These materials were expensive and especially difficult to use, and indicate that the sign was built to last.

The Boot & Saddle, and its sign, went dark for much of the 1990s and all of the 2000s after the Navy Yard was shuttered. The original business closed in 1995, and the sign would not be illuminated again for 20 years.

Then, after almost two decades of rust and darkness, the sign was saved when a group of concert and hospitality professionals opened a new performance space and bar in the building in 2013. As part of an agreement with the South Broad Street Neighborhood Association, the new venue owners agreed to repair and reilluminate the sign.

It began to glow again in early 2016, three years after Angelo Colavita, the original designer, had retired at age 85. Inquirer architecture critic Inga Saffron spoke to his son when the sign began to blaze again. “When the old boy makes something, he makes it to last forever,” Angelo Colavita Jr. told her in 2016.

The Boot & Saddle went dark again during the pandemic, but it’s open and illuminated again in its latest guise as Solar Myth.

“We don’t typically do object nominations,” said Grossi of the Preservation Alliance. “One of the criteria for getting on the local historic register is that ‘it’s an established and familiar visual feature.’ It’s one that’s not often used because it’s hard to prove, but in this case, it’s wholly appropriate.”

The Historical Commission voted unanimously to protect it.