WORCESTER, Mass. - Work started Monday morning to restore the landmark neon sign at George's Coney Island in Worcester.


What You Need To Know

  • Restoration work has begun on George’s Coney Island’s famous neon sign in Worcester, MA

  • The neon restoration will be led by renowned neon preservationist Dave Waller of Neon Williams, in partnership with Sunshine Sign in North Grafton and Benoit Design Group in Worcester

  • Waller said this project is unique because many landmark neon signs are switching to LED's, but Coney Island is sticking with genuine neon light

  • George’s Coney Island was established in 1918 and has been owned and operated by the same family for four generations

“Coney Island, in my humble opinion, is the finest neon sign in New England," Dave Waller said. "And there isn't even a close second.”

Neon sign preservationist Dave Waller said the recipe to Coney Island’s iconic sign is simple:

“Everybody loves hot dogs, it just makes people happy," Waller said. "Neon makes people happy. When you put the combination together, you just get smiles.”

“We're doing this for the people who light up when they see our sign,” Solon Kelleher said.

Third generation owner, Kathryn Tsandikos said making the neon shine as it did when it was first built carries a lot of meaning.

“You know, as I was driving to work, I actually started tearing up about what this means and what it means to the city, but really what it means to my family, because my grandfather had the sign built," Tsandikos said. "The hand is modeled after his hand. And here we are now, generations later, preserving it.”

The origins of the restaurant’s sign go back to its founder, Kelleher’s great grandfather George.

“The original sign was put up here 85 years ago; that was in 1940. Stanislav Romanoff, who is an immigrant from Eastern Europe, came here, befriended my great grandfather, George Tsagarelis," Kelleher said. "And over a few beers, they were talking about, 'hey, we should do something here.'”

Now this restoration project is expected to take a few months and will be the most work put into the neon sign since a major restoration in 1997. And in a time when neon is becoming rare to find, Kelleher said it’s in good hands.

“He's worked on the Citgo sign, the Paramount Theater sign in Boston," Kelleher said speaking of Waller. "And, today is the start of the physical work. We have designs. We have plans for how to make this sign last for the next 20-30 years. We're really excited.”

“We're just happy to be partnering with Sunshine Sign and trying to put something back that we know is just a big icon for the city," Waller said. "This month and next month, we'll be taking all of the glass and making it all new, out of fresh glass.”

And Tsandikos hopes the new neon will reflect Coney Island’s love for its hometown.

“My son is the next in line to be taking over. It shows people, the city of Worcester, that we're here to stay, that we're making an investment to further investment in the city," Tsandikos said. "And we're so proud to be still in business and being supported by so many people. So, it's a really meaningful, special day for us.

Coney Island will remain open during the restoration and they're looking forward to the new neon helping people find their business for years to come.