Neon sign preserved as Merced Mall rebrands. ‘A special place in our lives’

A piece of Merced history that once adorned one of the entrances to Merced’s mall has been saved and will be on display in a local museum for future generations to enjoy.

The iconic Merced Mall neon sign, which once hung over the the mall’s main entrance off of Olive Avenue, has been removed to make way for new signage reflecting the mall’s new name under current ownership. The old sign, which mall officials say was in place for several decades, is now part of the collection at the Merced County Courthouse Museum.

When museum staff member William S. George saw an online post that the mall was removing the sign, he said he knew he had to act fast to preserve the neon lettering for future generations.

“I was out at lunch and I was going through Facebook and I saw the post from Marketplace at Merced, that they were taking the sign down. I saved the post and texted it to Russell (Smith),” said George.

Russell Smith, a museum staffer who was also out to lunch at the time, said he rushed over to the mall to see if he could secure the sign.

“Figured, I might as well try and see ... if they want to give it to us,” said Smith. “I figured they would probably just get rid of it otherwise.”

Smith said he contacted the mall’s spokesperson and the mall was happy to give it to the museum, telling him that they’d received calls from people suggesting the mall contact the museum about the sign.

The sign is significant for the City of Merced as the mall has played a significant role in the city for more than 55 years, said George, especially since many generations of people grew up in the city visiting the mall. The recent mall rebranding is another reason to save the signage, he said.

With the rebranding unpopular with some residents, Smith said the name and the neon sign are recognizable aspects of the mall’s history.

“We also saw the public outpouring on the Facebook posts of people kind of lamenting at the fact that the sign’s coming down you know; all the memories,” said Smith.

Taking possession and transporting the sign was relatively easy, according to Smith, because the letters can come apart. The sign is currently located in the hallway of the museum’s first floor, and according to Smith, there are currently no plans to move it from that spot. Parts of the neon tubing sustained damage and current plans include some repairs, if possible.

“We’d like at least like to try to get the neon fixed so we can plug it in and have it light up still,” said Smith. “You know, that’d be great for photographic opportunities for people to come down and check it out.”

Merced County Museum Director Sarah Lim said a family recently came through the museum just to see the sign.

“Progress is being made to improve the lives of the Merced County residents, but the sign will always hold a special place in our lives, especially (since) they’re renaming the mall,” said Lim.

Lim said she has already started reaching out to sign specialist and is expecting to have someone look at the sign in the coming weeks. Lim said she hopes to have the sign refurbished and for it to become a permanent display in the museum.

Lim said the sign was transported to the museum on July 25.

Lim said that seeing the family come through the museum to check out the sign is an indication that she is successfully doing her job to as director of the museum.

“When you see the faces of the visitors, when they look at an artifact like (the) Merced sign and the expression on the faces, tells me why I am doing my job every day,” said Lim.

This story was originally published August 7, 2025 at 2:22 PM.