“Reflections of Time” hadn’t even been up for a minute before a passing driver honked their approval.
On Monday evening, the city unveiled its newest sign, a retro “Boca Raton” LED sign at Sanborn Square. A part of the city’s centennial celebrations, the sign is based upon the one that sat on Federal Highway in the 1960s.
“The ‘Boca’ letters are the font of the centennial and the ‘Raton’ is what they call brushed font, very in tune with midcentury and kind of the light-up signs from the era,” explains Veronica Hatch, Boca Raton’s public arts coordinator.
“Reflections of Time” was unveiled in a quick ceremony Monday evening, with a blue tarp pulled down to reveal the vertical sign. The city council was in attendance, and plenty of attendees stopped for selfies. The word “Raton” has colored LED lights, which change from pink to purple, blue, green, and shades in between.
Off to the side, Jack Glover, the president of Boca Raton-based SignSations, showed how with a tiny remote control, one could change the colors as well as dim, flash or fade the LED lights. The company designed and manufactured the sign with all materials in-state.
“We just do normal, regular signs, and doing an art piece like this is incredible. We really enjoyed doing it,” Glover says.
Hatch explained that Mayor Scott Singer saw an archival photo of the original 1960s welcome sign and was inspired to bring it back. This comes just a few weeks after a sign was installed in Downtown Boca Raton, also manufactured by SignSations.
Later, perhaps in 2026, there are plans to move the sign back to its original home on Federal Highway, welcoming drivers to Boca Raton as they leave Deerfield Beach.
