Nelson Harris, former mayor of Roanoke and board member of the Historical Society of Western Virginia, said he remembers thinking the H&C Coffee sign was “amazing” as a child.
“Just because it was so multicolored and had that motion to it, that movement to it,” Harris said in an interview Thursday. He said the sign, when lit, appears to move, pouring coffee from the pot into the teacup.
The sign, which is about 80 years old, went dark about four years ago, due to age, weather and time.
The Historical Society of Western Virginia wants to bring it back, and it announced a $430,000 restoration campaign. The sign, which sits near the lit Dr. Pepper sign in downtown Roanoke, is a registered historic landmark. The society announced its acquisition of the sign from Center in the Square and plans for restoration during its annual dinner last night.
The “Light the Skyline” campaign has raised $129,113 toward its goal, according to a press release. That money will support immediate restoration and establish an endowment for ongoing maintenance and preservation. Harris said about half of the funds will go toward restoration, with the other half going into the endowment fund.
The release said the sign’s neon lights will be replaced with LEDs and structural supports will be repaired. Restoration work is expected to begin later this year, with the hope that the relighting will happen in time for H&C Coffee’s 100th anniversary in 2027.
In 1927, Harold and Clarence Woods, brothers from Greensboro, North Carolina, established Woods Brother’s Coffee Company in Roanoke, according to the company’s website.
The coffee, which was hand-roasted, ground, then sold to local merchants, was branded “H&C Coffee.”
During a trip to New York, Harold Woods was inspired by neon lighting used in advertising in the city and decided he’d bring that idea back to Roanoke. The sign was built by Kinsey Sign Company, the same local sign maker that built the Mill Mountain Star, and it was completed in 1946, Harris said.
The sign originally sat on top of the coffee plant, but was moved on top of a building on East Salem Avenue after the plant was torn down in the 1960s.
During the flood of 1985, Woods Brother’s Coffee Co. lost its entire inventory, and was forced to close four years later.
The company reopened in 1990, funded by private investors, and the company was acquired by Quality Coffee Company, also a Roanoke company, in 2000.
”Landmarks like the H&C Coffee sign tell the story of who we are as a community,” said Susan Jennings, retired arts and culture coordinator for the city of Roanoke and granddaughter of H&C Coffee co-founder Harold Woods, Sr. “Relighting this sign will restore a shared symbol of home for Roanokers.”
Harris said the donations received so far have ranged from $5 dollars to five figure gifts.
“We want people to know that 25, 50, 100 dollars, gets this sign relit, gets it a part of the downtown skyline at night,” he said.
Harris said the project isn’t just about nostalgia, but also “bringing back to life something that is just really cool.”
“And I think it just speaks to the resilience and business culture of Roanoke.”
Those interested in donating or learning more about the project can find information here.
