As you walk past the 24th Street Theatre in the evening, you may notice a soft glow emanating from a new sign made by the local company Obra Art & Tech.
Obra was chosen after Sierra 2 looked at several local firms. The excitement and creativity of Obra’s owners and their competitive bid put Obra over the top.
The new sign is part of the ongoing renovation of the theater. The previous foam letters were tattered and torn, blowing in the breeze, and would have cost $12,000 to replace. The new sign, made of high-density urethane, was half the cost – despite the internal lighting – and will have a much longer life. It also will make it simpler to correct the date on the sign, as the theatre was founded in 1929.
Brandon Ortiz and Isela Perez, founders of Obra, worked closely with Sierra 2 staff to ensure the new sign fit in with the building.
“I gave Brandon and Isela a full tour of the center so they could bring in the history of the space,” said Heather Hogan of Sierra 2’s staff. “We picked up the floral icon, for instance, from the Andalusian tiles in the entryway.”
Isela Perez said a lot of Obra’s project time involved research and development.
“Given the amount of sunlight that space gets, we wanted to do some interesting things with light and shadow,” she said.
Brandon Perez added, “We looked to incorporate some of the Spanish feel of the building, and working on the computer let us incorporate most of the things we were asked to do.”