1. Rhetorical Dimensions of Typographic Signage
in Historic Architectural Restoration
Robin McDowell
Rhetoric & Social Style
4.23.14

2. BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Original Structures: 1850-1950
Restorations/Renovations: 1997-2014
Proximity Environments: semi-public shared spaces such as
neighbourhoods, parks and work environments
Environmental psychology is above all a psychology of space, whose
paramount goal is to analyze the relation between the individual and
the environment.
Typographic Landscape Category: Commercial
Sub-Categories: Honorary, Artistic, Accidental
Anna Paula Silva Gouveia, Priscila Lena Farias and Patrícia Souza Gatto. “Letters and cities: reading the urban environment with the help
of perception theories,” Visual Communication Vol. 8 (2009), 339-349.

3. Anna Paula Silva Gouveia, Priscila Lena Farias and Patrícia Sou-
za Gatto. “Letters and cities: reading the urban environment
with the help of perception theories,” Visual Communication
Vol. 8 (2009), 339-349.

4. Serif (Roman)
Blackletter
Serif (Egyptain/Slab)
Script (Brush/Casual)
Sans Serif (Gothic)
Script (Edwardian/Formal)

5. RESURRECTION
PRESERVATION
REINVENTION
APPROPRIATION

6. RESURRECTION
Circle Food Store
PRESERVATION
ArtEgg Studios
Preservation Hall
Rice Mill Lofts
American Can Apartments
REINVENTION
Morning Call Coffee Stand
The Victory Grill
APPROPRIATION
Quickie Pickie
Pagoda Cafe

7. 1. RESURRECTION
original signage is:
- Damaged
- Destroyed
- Removed
Signage is reproduced and re-installed in exact
image of the original in the original location.
the function of style:
- Social cohesion
- Denotes arena for community activities
- Space becomes Place/Landmark (Lynch, Lippard)

8. Example 1: CIRCLE FOOD STORE
St. Bernard Avenue, New Orleans

13. 2. REINVENTION
original signage could be:
- Damaged
- Destroyed
- Removed
- Intact
New signage, inspired by the original, is produced
and installed at original or new location.
the function of style:
- Space becomes Place/Landmark (Lynch, Lippard)
- Cultural and Geographic (Re)Orientation
- Authenticity of operation and structure

14. Example 2: MORNING CALL COFFEE STAND
1870–1970: French Market, New Orleans
1970–2006: Metairie
2013: City Park, New Orleans

17. Example 3: VICTORY GRILL
11th Street, Austin, TX
1997: National Register of Historic Places

20. 3. PRESERVATION
original signage could be:
- Damaged
- Intact
Signage is restored to its original image or saved in
situ with original materials intact.
the function of style:
- Colonial or community concession
- Demonstration of “Fitness”
- Authenticity through narrative

21. Example 4: ARTEGG STUDIOS
Broad Street, New Orleans

24. Example 5: PRESERVATION HALL
French Quarter, New Orleans

26. Example 6: AMERICAN CAN COMPANY
Mid-City, New Orleans

28. Example 7: RICE MILL LOFTS
Bywater, New Orleans

32. 4. APPROPRIATION
original signage is:
- Removed
New signage is invented, produced, and installed
that is inspired by other historic signage, but not
specifically associated with the particular building,
landscape, or historic period.
the function of style:
- Associates site with cultural values of displaced
location, community, or time period.
- “Virtual Nostalgia”
Xue, Haian and Pedro Carvalho de Almeida. “Nostalgia and Its Value to Design Strategy: Some Fundamental Considerations.” Paper presented at
the Proceedings of the Tsinghua-DMI International Design Management Symposium 2011 Hong Kong.

33. Example 8: QUICKIE PICKIE
11th Street, Austin, TX

36. Example 9: PAGODA CAFÉ
Bayou Road, Treme, New Orleans