The Embassy Theatre has been a mainstay in the downtown Fort Wayne, Indiana cityscape ever since its opening back in 1928. It has transitioned from an old-time movie palace to a live performance arts center.
Seventeen years ago, the venue received a marquee overhaul/upgrade to celebrate its seventy-fifth anniversary with the switch out from a classic letter board to a full-color digital sign.
However, a few months ago, technical issues started plaguing the operation of this key communication tool for the Embassy Theatre. The tri-faced electronic signage was malfunctioning on a regular basis, with one side eventually stopping to work completely.
This was proving a problem as a 2020 traffic study conducted in the area found that 450,000 vehicles pass by the Embassy Theatre building every month. Owners knew it was time for an upgrade (especially as digital solutions have since evolved and improved).
This past December, The Baldus Company installed a new and improved, three-sided 50-by-4-foot marquee electronic message center for the Embassy Theatre. This 6mm Watchfire Signs display plays host to a program of highest resolution, polished messaging and has added to the further beautification of this long-time downtown structure.
The Baldus Company also happens to be located in Fort Wayne and is well aware of the historical significance of the Embassy Theatre, as they have also been a notable fixture themselves in the downtown area for seventy-one years now.
Owned and operated today by brothers George and Hugh Baldus, The Baldus Company has long designed and produced displays, graphics, and signage systems (“Moving to Higher Ground,” December 2013). They have also been constantly growing and adapting to meet the needs of the evolving marketplace—including bringing onboard digital sign projects for several years now.
The Baldus Company has worked exclusively with Watchfire Signs since 2005, installing 223 Watchfire electronic message center displays over this time.
“We have gained a great understanding of the value of ‘real-time media at the curb,’” explains Hugh. “The right type of company/organization, enough drive-by traffic, and a willingness to invest in advertising add up to increased foot traffic and/or awareness for our clients. That effect justifies the investment in an EMC and often more than pays for it.
“We have also retrofitted dozens of EMCs to broadband wireless to overcome the shortcomings of radio communication and allow multiple users to manage content from any location.”
According to Hugh, the “ancient” digital sign unit that the Embassy Theatre was using was suffering almost constant outages. “This led to frustration and embarrassment about how their marquee looked,” he says.
Another negative was that the resolution of the previous marquee sign was very low; its 35mm pitch was leading to poor reproduction of the visuals that they were trying to present on it. Also it had approximately 15,000 pixels, while the new Watchfire 6mm sign features over 442,000 pixels. “The new sign’s brightness and resolution is absolutely astounding,” says Hugh.
The Baldus Company exercised extra care and concern when it came to the transport of the new three-face display from Watchfire in Danville, Illinois to their facility in downtown Fort Wayne to the jobsite nearby. “We used a crane to handle the cabinets during each move,” says Hugh. “We also carefully calculated the angles from face-to-face for the three sections of the sign so that it fit perfectly into this almost-century-old marquee. Watchfire manufactured the cabinets to match those two angles to assure a precision fit.”
The Baldus Company worked with the City of Fort Wayne to manage both street and sidewalk traffic on this busy downtown corridor. “Because of rush hour conditions, we were limited to working hours from 9:00am to 3:00pm,” says Hugh.
Installation of the new Watchfire digital display combined the use of a telehandler, a scissor lift, a bucket truck, and (to dislodge and remove the existing sign from the marquee structure) a crane. “Each piece was repositioned as we installed each of the three faces, starting at the center,” says Hugh.
Manpower was used on both the front and back of the then-existing sign to systematically remove fasteners, strap the sign to a telehandler, and then safely lower it to the ground. “To maximize safety, we also tethered the sign to the crane as a backup to the telehandler,” says Hugh, noting that they responsibly recycled the old sign at a local facility.
Since the Watchfire sign cabinets feature a sturdy continuous bolt rail around the perimeter, this allowed Baldus Company installers to be flexible given differing jobsite conditions and securely mechanically affix the sign to the substructure where available (as opposed to welded connections).
“There was sufficient steel structure within the sign to install the sign with stainless steel bolts to the steel beams within the opening in the marquee,” says Hugh. “Because we had specified a custom cabinet size relative to the face size of the display and the available opening, there was very little need to trim panels post installation.”
To cover the cost of implementing this new visual communication system, Robert and Pamela Bechert generously donated to the project. (Note: Embassy Theatre officials are still seeking additional donations to cover all costs.)
A dedication ceremony recognizing the generosity of the Bechert family and other donors, as well as all those who worked on the project, was held inside the historic facility in early January and was covered by several local television stations and newspapers and even attended by the mayor of Fort Wayne.
“[Everyone] proceeded to watch the three blank screens come to life with dynamic promotional messaging, controlled by a laptop using Cloud-based software and a broadband connection to communicate with the sign,” says Hugh.
Content being featured on the new marquee display includes upcoming events, community support, promotion of selected charities, and information about COVID-related safety measures.
“Fort Wayne’s downtown is on a two-decade winning streak, as efforts to improve and grow the heart of our city are bearing fruit,” says Hugh. “We cherish our role in these revitalization efforts, especially for such a landmark institution. Through our partnership with the Embassy Theatre and Watchfire Signs, over 8,000,000 people a year will see the digital marquee, be informed, and be invited to enjoy their activities.
“As COVID-19 limitations are lifted, the Embassy Theatre is poised for the future, in no small part due to the latest in sign technology.”
—Jeff Wooten
