According to The Paramount Theatre’s website, a large sign blade announcing P-A-R-A-M-O-U-N-T had been attached above the theatre’s entrance from 1930 to 1963. It was removed for renovation and was never replaced. No one knows what happened to the original sign. Now a new blade has been commissioned as part of The Paramount’s 100th anniversary celebration.

Last week the blade and its top crown were delivered on flat-bed trucks, hoisted up with cranes, and attached to the facade of the historic building. When I walked up to the theatre on Tuesday evening, workers were still completing the installation of the giant green blade.

On Thursday, a sunburst crown was hoisted up to rest on top of the blade. The new sign already looks at home on Congress Avenue, and complements the existing red blade on the nearby State Theatre. The public is invited to the official blade lighting ceremony on September 23.

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