History / Inspiration
Located on the small Niccolet Island in the Mississippi River below the Hennepin Avenue Bridge in Minneapolis, the Grain Belt Beer sign has been a staple site on the landscape of the Twin Cities since roughly 1940. While its letters used flash in sequence in neon, it has since fallen into somewhat need of repair, having not been lit for years and in need of structural repair and other needs.
The sign, and the roughly 200-by-75-foot site the sign occupies on Nicollet Island, went up for sale in late 2009, but it's unknown if it sold or not. The William Eastman family, the owners of the large Minneapolis landmark, are looking for buyer interested in repairing and re-lighting the sign. Though the original rent was $1,000 per month, plus 50 cents per barrel of beer, the new owner will need to invest what is believed to be several hundred thousand dollars for the repairs.
there there is in the process of locating the current owners/realtors so a portion of the proceeds of Grain Belt Beer tee shirt sales can be donated to relighting the aging landmark. In the meantime, read more about the iconic sign here.
Proceeds from the sale of this shirt go to: Apply now
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About the designer
This was created by Kyle Duford, the creative director of there there. When he lived in Minneapolis, this was his favorite billboard, located on Nicollet Island, it can be seen from the Hennepin Avenue Bridge which he crossed daily. Follow him @kyleduford.
