Orlando Loses Iconic Neon Sign

Brooklyn and Philadelphia both lost iconic neon signs this year and today the same happens in my hometown of Orlando.

For decades, the Merita Bread sign acted as a welcoming beacon to downtown Orlando for those traveling eastbound on I-4, just south of downtown. Two years ago, the bread company closed its doors when Hostess, its former parent company, went bankrupt. Tomorrow morning’s commute will be the last time the iconic neon sign greets drivers to downtown Orlando. After more than 50 years, the Merita Bread sign is coming down. The new owners of the former Merita Bread building, Maudlin International Trucks of Orlando, is giving the double-sided sign and the neon letters on the side of the building to the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art, which plans to fully restore the sign and add it to their growing collection of historic Orlando signs. The sign will be dismantled in sections and is anticipated to be completely wiped from our skyline by 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13.

The Merita sign was one of the most beloved in Florida, perhaps because just as motorists rounded the downtown curve of I-4, windows would be rolled down as the sign came into into view accompanied by the delicious scent of baking bread. When my friends and I would return from excursions to South Florida, we always said that we weren't officially home until we could see the Merita sign. Heck, back in the 80s we even had a local drag queen named Merita Brioche.