Western Auto sign set to light up Kansas City's skyline again after restoration

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For generations of Kansas Citians, the Western Auto sign has been a familiar sight on the skyline. After spending some time in the dark, it is about to shine again.

Bulb by bulb, Matt McNutt and his work partner replaced 3,000 of them on the Western Auto sign.

"All the walk planks are behind the sign, and all the work is in front. So you're literally holding on with one hand and unscrewing a light bulb, screwing in a light bulb, changing the neon," McNutt said.

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McNutt is the service manager for Infinity Sign Systems. The physical toll of the work was significant.

"I couldn't work on it two days in a row," McNutt said.

He spent two months on the project — but this was not his first time working on the sign.

"My dad and I used to work on that sign together," McNutt said.

That was 30 years ago. His father is now 83 years old.

"It's neat. It's really neat to be able to say, 'Hey, me and my dad have both maintained this sign over the years,'" McNutt said.

This time, McNutt returned with a mission: to bring a Kansas City icon back to life.

"It's definitely iconic and cool. And I think it represents Kansas City well," McNutt said.

The sign is seven stories tall and was erected in 1952, making it nearly 75 years old. Beyond replacing the 3,000 light bulbs, the restoration team repaired nearly 40 individual neon elements that outline the sign and its arrow.

Scott Baldwin, director of operations for Infinity Sign Systems, said the new bulbs were chosen to match the look of the original sign.

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"The bulbs we replaced were one of the first-generation LED bulbs. The sign's been worked on before, and the ones we were going with are more of a warmer light, so it's going to look more like the original incandescent bulbs," Baldwin said.

The sign's animation is entirely mechanical — no modern electronics are involved.

"Everything is mechanically driven. There's not a single transistor in the whole setup. So there's not electrical drives, no Arduinos or Raspberry Pis or anything like that. It's all these really cool gears and lifts and levers and everything that make everything work," Baldwin said.

Turning the sign back on comes down to one key moment.

"It's a very, very large switch. We call it a contactor. And it's literally two pieces of metal that just come together," Baldwin said.

For Baldwin, the experience of working on the restoration carried a deeper meaning.

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"It feels like you're a part of the history, not just Kansas City, but as far as like signage industry," Baldwin said.

When the sign lights up Tuesday at 9 p.m., viewers will see the full animation return — including the red flashing and the arrow sequence — rather than the static look the sign displayed during a temporary period tied to the FIFA World Cup.

Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas said the city contributed financially to the project through the Illuminate KC initiative, calling the sign a piece of public art.

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"We think that this has actually now become something that truly is kind of a public art piece. And so in the same way that we have great pieces all around the city of which we're quite proud, this is one that allows us to continue to tell a great story of Kansas City," Lucas said.

Lucas continued, "I think it will give great joy and excitement to the people of Kansas City."

According to Lucas, as part of the agreement, the sign must remain lit for at least 10 years, and maintenance reserves have been established.

"Getting out at Union Station, you see that, you know you're in Kansas City, you have this experience," Lucas said.

Kansas City resident Daniel Smith, who lives in the Union Hill neighborhood and exercises near the sign, said its absence was noticeable.

"When it's not on, it's kind of weird to see just that dark, like it's just, there's nothing there in the sky that's kind of screaming Kansas City," Smith said.

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Smith, who previously worked as a bartender at the Crossroads Hotel, said the sign holds a special place in the city's identity.

"It's a staple. When you're downtown, everything is glowing in the sky. It's a good example of how bright Kansas City people are," Smith said.

He said he hopes the sign stays lit for years to come — and has high hopes for what comes next.

"It's going to be great, especially with the Kansas City Chiefs playing soon too, now that we're in the preseason. And so when that season starts, hopefully that sign will be going bright red," Smith said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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