Albany

Westgate Shopping Center's iconic sign is coming down to be refurbished by a Schodack company.

Since 1960, the sign has towered 90 feet over 911 Central Ave. The 'W' alone is 8 feet tall.

The Westgate name is encircled in neon, though many of the lights have stopped working over the years. The oval is 20 feet high and 30 feet wide.

"We are going to be taking all the letters down first and then take the oval down," said Pat Boni, vice president of sales for Saxton Sign Corp.

Lisa Tymchyn, the account manager for the sign company, said all the neon on the sign will be removed and replaced with LED lighting.

The new lighting will use 75 percent less electricity, Tymchyn said.

A catwalk that runs behind the sign will be rebuilt and other structural repairs made.

"It's a lovely sign everybody can see from miles away," said Ann Moreno, director of real estate for owner Russell Road Associates. "We just cannot find people to do neon work — or at least not that you can afford. Over the years, those have burned out. I don't even know if many of them work any more."

A lower catwalk on the structure was once used for radio broadcasts by the late "Boom Boom" Branigan.

The city of Albany wanted the sign preserved rather than replaced.

"The city wants to keep the structure of the sign because it is a landmark," Tymchyn said.

The work is expected to take about a month to complete, Boni said.

"We're hoping to have it up right before Christmas," he said.

The company making the repairs has a history with the sign: Judge Sign Corp. built it originally, but that firm was acquired by Saxton in 1985.

"These I-beams were brought on trains on the tracks right behind Westgate," Boni said.

Moreno said she could not discuss how much the owner was investing in restoring the sign.

"We're just going to make it so it'll last for another 50 years," she said. "It's a big undertaking, and we're happy to be able to do it."

tobrien@timesunion.com • 518-454-5092 • @timobrientu