Crews this week started taking down the words spelling “Ogden” on either side of the steel truss arch and other signage so it can be replaced. The old neon lighting will be replaced with more energy-efficient LED lighting, though the overall look will stay the same.

“It’s been getting increasingly hard to get people to do repairs on that light,” said Jay Lowder, Ogden’s public services director. “We’re changing it to technology we can support.”

The look will be the same, he said. Wording on either side of “Ogden” on the north side of the arch reads, “Home of Weber State University” and “Pioneer Days Week July 24th.” On the south side, the wording on either side of “Ogden” reads, “It pays to live in” and “Home of Weber State University.” That won’t change.

The new lights, though, might be brighter, Lowder said. Moreover, the color of the new lighting will be changeable. Around July 4 (Independence Day) and July 24 (Pioneer Day), for instance, the lighting on the sign might be red, white and blue, he said.

Tim Vandenack, Standard-Examiner

The work, with a price tag of around $120,000, started this week and should be done by late next week.

According to data on the Library of Congress website, the arch dates to 1936.

“The sign was conceived and built as the result of the efforts of Ogden’s prominent and colorful mayor, Harmon W. Peery. It was designed and constructed in 1936 by the Young Electric Sign Company,” reads an online Library of Congress account. “The sign is also a rather rare structure, in that only five road spanning signs are known to have been constructed in Utah.”

Lowder called the arch an iconic part of the city, noting that images of it frequently accompany articles and other material about Ogden. He said he thinks the update will be the first major overhaul of the sign since it was put in place.

The steel truss arch holding the signage, in good condition, will stay in place.

Tim Vandenack, Standard-Examiner