"The New One Will be a 21st Century Sign" said Mayor Lozano

The removal of the historical Baldwin Park sign on the corner of Maine Avenue and Ramona Blvd., is part of an effort to redevelop the downtown area, said mayor Manuel Lozano. 

The sign that has been in place since the 1950s, was removed this week and it was sent to the back yard of the city's Department of Public Works.  

"We are going to renovate and put a brand new sign, a 21st century sign but we are going to keep that one," Lozano told Patch. "It will says 'city of Baldwin Park', but it will be like a little water fountain type, totally different."

Some Baldwin Park residents reacted with sadness to the news. 

"I remember that sign from way back in the day," wrote Robert Valencia in the Lozano personal Facebook page. "As a kid that sign was my reminder that home was right around the corner."

The historical sign is also the cover page photo for Baldwin Park Patch Latino. 

"Traditions are always sad when changes are made," wrote Sally Wieck on Patch. "It was the "hub" of Baldwin Park - like a welcome to one and all."

According to Lozano, the city didn't want to remove the sign but at the end they understood the plans of NewMark Merrill, owners of Park Plaza at Maine.

"It ts and historical sign and everybody knows that," said Lozano. "But I understand progress and they wanted something more contemporary."

The sign could be placed in the Baldwin Park Museum or relocated in another part of the city. 

Tell us, what do you think about the removal of this sign? What does the city should do about this?

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