NORTH CENTER — For decades, the towering yellow-and-black Golden Angel sign — "Open 24 Hours, ATM Available $1.50" — greeted visitors to the corner of Montrose and Lincoln avenues.
When Lou Malnati's, the new occupant of 4340 N. Lincoln Ave., replaced the pancake house's marker with its own 15-footer, nostalgic residents wondered what happened to the Angel's sign.
Lou Malnati's replaced the Golden Angel sign with its own. What happened to the old one? DNAinfo/Patty Wetli
Sold for scrap? Clogging a landfill? Bought by a collector?
None of the above.
Turns out, Malnati's has a sentimental streak, too.
Instead of chucking the sign, Malnati's placed it in storage and plans to incorporate it into the restaurant's decor as a tribute to the Golden Angel, according to Malnati's spokeswoman Mindy Kaplan.
Malnati's isn't the first to recycle a predecessor's sign.
In 2009, Gene's Sausage Shop opened in the footprint of the former Delicatessen Meyer, a Lincoln Square institution. Patrons were delighted to see that the old Meyer's sign had been salvaged and given pride of place in the new store.
Gene's Sausage Shop salvaged the Delicatessen Meyer sign. Flickr/Laurie Chipps
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
