Kansas City’s iconic Western Auto sign will return to the downtown skyline Tuesday after a year-long absence.
The massive steel and porcelain enamel sign on top of the Western Auto Lofts building, at 2107 Grand Boulevard, has been dark since July last year, and was in need of substantial repairs.
So, workers from a local sign shop have spent the past several months restoring what’s been a glowing Kansas City landmark since it was placed atop the seven-story building in 1952.
Infinity Sign Systems Director of Operations Scott Baldwin said it's been exciting to work on the project, which included repairs to neon tubing, bulbs, and the structure’s metal frame and electronics.
“It’s knowing that, when you're done with this work, there's going to be a lot of people that look up at it and recognize it as an icon in Kansas City," Baldwin said.
The three-person team worked during the hot summer months to replace long stretches of broken neon and troubleshoot old lighting technology.
“The threads on the original bulbs are just slightly different than today’s bulbs,” Baldwin said. “So our first challenge was finding products that would work, but look like the old incandescent bulbs — that nice, warm glow.”
Why Western Auto went dark
Last year, one of Kansas City’s most noted signs was in bad shape: three letters were out and there were multiple broken bulbs.
At the same time, the board of directors of the Western Auto Lofts homeowners association was already facing a $9 million restoration project to repair the facade of the 130-year-old building.
On July 7, 2025, the board made the difficult decision to turn off the sign.
After considering multiple proposals to fix the sign, the board made an agreement with the City of Kansas City and Infinity Sign Systems to keep the sign lit for at least 10 years.
“We reached out to the mayor's office about this time last year and, within a week, he had us in his office asking how he could help,” said Jessica Best, president of the Western Auto Lofts Homeowners Association.
The city stepped in with a $100,000 contribution to fix the Western Auto sign as part of Mayor Quinton Lucas’ Illuminate KC Initiative, focused on restoring and expanding architectural and decorative night-lighting on metro landmarks — last September, the same program helped relight the 1,042-foot-tall KCTV5 Tower in midtown.
“We are so excited that after really a year of working with the city and the mayor's office, that the lights are going to be back on,” Best said.
Lucas announced the sign’s return on social media on Sunday.
After going dark, the fully renovated, historic Western Auto sign is ready to shine permanently over our city once again.
— Mayor Q (@QuintonLucasKC) August 17, 2026
Look to the skies Tuesday night. pic.twitter.com/5dpuOQUHoD
Lucas’ post said the Western Auto sign comes back on at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, August 18.
