Baby Land gets a new, unique sign

Baby Land General Hospital has installed their new sign on the morning of April 22. This project has been over a year in the making, and required the combined efforts of the staff at Owens Welding Inc., Original Appalachian Artworks (OAA) Art Director Rick McEntyre, and Cabbage Patch Creator Xavier Roberts.

Roberts knew that he wanted a unique sign for BabyLand General Hospital and Gardens on the most recently completed Phase III of the four-lane Appalachian Parkway. Xavier pointed out signs that have become iconic like “HOLLYWOOD”, “I Amsterdam”, and artist Robert Indiana’s, “Love”. Designed for quick selfies, the sign is eight individual letters in the modernistic, custom typeface, that has been part of Baby Land’s logo for over 40 years.

OAA searched for over a year to find a company to commission to make this sign. They spoke with 39 different businesses across state lines before hiring Owens Welding Inc. Located just two miles north of Baby Land on Helen Highway, all the artists are native to Cleveland and have been providing quality welding services since 1987.

Each letter is 6 feet tall, 4 feet wide, and 28 inches thick. Each side of the letter consists of a 4‘x 8‘ shiny, sheet of aluminum is ¼” thick, weighing  150 pounds. Add the weight to the metal that creates the depth, each finished letter has a weight close to 300 pounds. It took a crane last Friday, with minimal wind, to have the precision necessary to place each letter.

The metal artist admitted that the size of these has made them a challenge to construct.“Straight angles are easy”, said business owner Robert Owens, “But, most of the letters have curved edges.”

After the letters were cut out of the aluminum sheets, each side needed to be shaped freehand to create the dimension necessary for the finished product. Unlike a potter shaping pliable clay, Owens had to take a plate roll and press brake to make the rigid, industrial-strength aluminum obediently yield and bend to new rules. Owens has been restrained by the properties of aluminum due to the temperatures dropping below freezing at the beginning of this year.

Another engineering challenge was internally bracing the letters’ structure. Buttering each seam for a smooth edge, Owens made sure every surface was perfect before sending the letters off for a white powder coating to become a perfect photo backdrop.