On the evening of April 7, Lindsey Yoder of Sign Art Studio stood before Evansville's Plan Commission with two things. She had examples of restored neon signs from other towns with strict historic district guidelines, and she had old Evansville newspaper records describing local signage and lighting. She was there on appeal. The Historic Preservation Commission had already looked at her design for a replica blade sign on the Grange Store building twice. Both times it approved the sign and rejected the neon.
The Plan Commission voted unanimously to reverse that decision. The sign goes live on Saturday, October 10, during Fall Fest. That makes West Main Street the place where Evansville has decided that a building's later decades count as history too, even when they fall outside the years the historic district was drawn to protect.
A Sign From The Wrong Century, Strictly Speaking
According to the city staff report in the April minutes, the Evansville Historic District exists "to preserve and protect the City's buildings built between the 1840s and 1910s." The Grange Store fits that easily. It was built in 1904. The original neon blade sign was a later addition, likely hanging from the late 1940s to the 1980s.
That timing explains why the project needed an appeal at all. Neon isn't allowed on signs in the B-2 zoning district. The Community Development Director told Grove Partners, the group that hired Sign Art Studio, that the Historic Preservation Commission could make an exception if it found the lighting historically appropriate. The commission didn't find that. Its members also raised a practical concern, that the light could bother downtown residents, who typically live on the second floor.
The Plan Commission's discussion went somewhere else. Commissioner Lathrop asked why the ordinance couldn't simply be changed to allow other lighting downtown. Community Development Director Colette Spranger answered that such a change might not pass, and that a variance didn't fit because there was no hardship. Mayor Abbey Barnes said she finds downtown darker than she would like, both for safety and for promoting businesses, especially on East Main Street. She added that signs can be as engaging as murals, which Tourism has been promoting in recent years.
The motion that passed reads:
Motion to reverse the decision of the Historic Preservation Commission and allow neon lighting on the recreated Grange blade sign, with the "established 1904" byline, and allow illumination within the hours of operation outlined in the B-1 zoning district.
The hours limit was the compromise. The B-2 district has no set business hours, but the B-1 district does, so the commission borrowed those to address the concern about upstairs neighbors. The minutes don't list the actual clock times, so the exact hours the sign will be lit on a given night aren't in the public record yet.
Every Era The Building Has Lived Through
The neon question makes more sense once you see how many lives this building has had. The history kept by local historians on the Evansville history site, together with the Wisconsin Historical Society's property record, runs like this:
- November 1872. Local farmers organize the Evansville Grange as a cooperative.
- February 1874. The Grange opens its store in a different location on East Main.
- 1903 to 1904. The Grange buys the West Main site. Its new department store opens in late August 1904 with more than 50,000 square feet, a bank, and several retail departments. The Wisconsin Historical Society lists the brick building as Neoclassical/Beaux-Arts and names William B. Meggott as architect and builder.
- Late 1940s to 1980s. The neon blade sign likely hangs on the building.
- 1955 and 1980. The business is sold in 1955 and closes in 1980.
- 1978 and 1989. The building is counted as contributing to the Evansville Historic District, which joins the National Register in 1978 and the State Register in 1989.
- 1980s onward. The building becomes the Grange Mall with apartments upstairs, then houses Blue Cross & Blue Shield offices. Brian Fick buys it in 2004.
So the sign spent most of its life over a working store, and it was still up in the decade the historic district was listed. The new version carries the date "Established 1904." Its look comes from a much later point in that timeline.
If you've ever noticed the building listed under several addresses, there's a reason. The April Plan Commission minutes treat 19–33 W. Main as a single parcel, 6-27-90. The City's 2025 assessment roll lists 19, 21, 25, 29, 31 and 33 W. Main together under one owner, Grange Store LLC. The Wisconsin Historical Society notes that even the historic-district paperwork disagrees with itself. The district map labels the building 19–27 W. Main, and the district property list calls it 21–33 W. Main.
What Operates Behind The Sign Now
The Evansville Chamber's directory lists Evansville Hometown Pharmacy at 21 W. Main and Ringhand's Beer Mustard at 25 W. Main, Suite 2. The Friends of the Eager Free Public Library use the lower level at 19 W. Main for book donations and sales. The Chamber describes that space as the lower level of the Grange Building, next door to the library.
That mix gives the building a part in this fall's calendar beyond the sign itself.
| Date | What's happening at the Grange | Address on the listing |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 10 | Sign-lighting celebration during Fall Fest, gathering from 4:30 to 7 p.m. | 33 W. Main |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | Friends of the Eager Free Public Library book donations, 9 to 11 a.m. | 19 W. Main, lower level |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | Santa arrives by fire truck, plus children's activities, 10 a.m. to noon | 25 W. Main |
The three addresses look like three places, but they're all the same building.
October 10, Hour By Hour
The Chamber lists Fall Fest & Monster Mash Market on Main Street from 3 to 9 p.m., with live music, food trucks, vendors and a street dance. The Monster Mash Market brings more than 40 vendors selling handmade goods along East and West Main Street. The Grange celebration starts with a pre-party at 4:45 p.m. with networking and appetizers, and Ludy and his Lady play at 5 p.m. The Fall Fest listing puts the actual lighting of the new sign at 6:45 p.m. and says VIP wristbands will be available that day.
The times aren't consistent everywhere. The City's events calendar shows the Monster Mash Market from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., while the Chamber lists 3 to 9 p.m. The Chamber's listing is the one that names the sign lighting and Ludy and his Lady. If you're planning around 6:45, check with the Chamber at 608-882-5131 that morning.
The Walk The Mayor Was Describing
When Barnes compared signs to murals, she was referring to a program you can see downtown. Over the last couple of years, the Tourism Commission has been numbering its murals.
- Mural #1, the Five Ladies portraits. In April 2026, Tourism Commission minutes placed the installation on the Madison Street side of Lake Ridge Bank. A $1,000 grant from the Women's Fund, a fund of the Community Foundation of Southern Wisconsin, helped cover the cost. Earlier plans had the portraits going on the Grange's west wall.
- Mural #2, the Circus Mural. Muralist Annie Larson and historian Ruth Ann Montgomery spoke at its reception, which Creekside Place hosted.
- Mural #3, the Rex Theater mural at 26 W. Main. Artist James Richter proposed it. By August 2025 it covered three of the building's five wall sections, and the two harder-to-see sections were still to be done.
The Rex Theater and the Grange are both on West Main. In April, Yoder told the Tourism Commission that Sign Art Studio's Grange work included vintage-style signage and an "innovative mural." On May 21, Grove Partners hosted a public unveiling and ribbon cutting at the Grange Store Building for "Heritage & Harmony The Artful History of Evansville Wisc." Roger Berg, Dave Olsen and Matt Brown were the hosts. The Chamber described the project as honoring "the people and places that have shaped our community."
A good route on October 10 runs like this. Start at the Five Ladies on Madison Street before the vendors fill Main. Head to the Rex Theater mural at 26 W. Main. Then end at the Grange, 19–33 W. Main, in time for the 6:45 lighting.
If you own an older home in or near Evansville's historic district and have a project in mind, the Grange appeal shows how the process works. The Historic Preservation Commission reviews first, the Plan Commission hears appeals, and the questions that come up are often about neighbors and hours as much as appearance. I'm happy to talk through what I've seen in local projects like this, and to point you to the City's process so you can plan. Kimberley Govert-Meris Let's Connect.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
