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Slade Knitwear Neon Sign

Location 105-115 Dover Street,, RICHMOND VIC 3121 - Property No B7129 File Number B7129 Level Regional

[1/1] B7129 Slade Knitwear Neon Sign

Statement of Significance

The Slade Knitwear neon skysign, erected c 1970, by Neon Electric Signs, is historically and aesthetically significant to the Inner Metropolitan Region.
Historically, the Slade Knitwear sign is important as one of the few large-scale neon skysigns remaining in Victoria. Such signs, often with lively animation or flashing parts, reached a zenith of popularity in the 1950s and 1960s, with the largest examples becoming familiar and well loved parts of the urban landscape. There are only a handful of large neon signs remaining, the most famous being Skipping Girl Vinegar, Pelaco and the Nylex signs.
All these signs are in Richmond, in the City of Yarra, form the major collection in Victoria and literally signify the industrial history of the City. This industrial base formed a substantive part of the Victorian and later the national economy. The sign has particular historic associations with the development of Richmond, particularly the Cremorne area, as a location for the development of the garment industry in Melbourne, particularly in the post war period.
Aesthetically, the sign is a striking structure, with its piercing red neon lighting, visible from great distances. The accurate reproduction of cursive writing on a giant form creates a curiously appealing juxtaposition of scale.
Classified: 04/06/2001