Welcome to 'D-E-T-R-O-I-T': First look at signs to be installed before NFL draft

Detroit — Welders at a Detroit sign shop are doing their part to welcome visitors to "D-E-T-R-O-I-T" before this spring's NFL Draft.

Workers at Fairmont Sign Co. on the city's northeast side are creating five billboard style "Welcome to Detroit" signs, along with a "gateway" sign that spells out "DETROIT" with seven 10-foot tall individual letters. The firm gave media a behind-the-scenes look Wednesday at the signs and letters as they take shape.

"DETROIT" will be installed on Interstate 94 eastbound between Central and Cecil avenues.

Javier Jones, 34, is a welder who has been working on the "O" in "DETROIT." He said it's a process to get everything right but he's proud to be part of the project.

"The cosmetics of this will probably go unnoticed but it's something I'm very proud to work on and to be able to present to the city," said Jones, who has been a welder for 12 years. "I look forward to telling my daughter, 'Look, I helped make that."

At the workshop Wednesday, sparks flew as welders molded the aluminum into perfect bends. Some cut wooden shapes to use as stencils. Others were building the 2-foot-tall bases the 8-foot letters will be stationed on.

City officials planned the media preview to show the work being done to create the signs after a photoshopped image circulated on social media of what the Hollywood-style sign would look like. It went viral before a rendering was created by the designers.

The signs will be completed next month and installed in mid- to late March before the city hosts the NFL Draft in April at Campus Martius and Hart Plaza.

The city is spending $425,000 on all the signs. Jessica Parker, Detroit's deputy chief operations officer, said the city received three bids to craft the signs, including one from Georgia, but Fairmont was the obvious choice. The ground-level sign along the service drive will be permanent, with lights and flowers around each letter.

Large signs to represent national brands such as General Motors Co., Stellantis NV and Valvoline also are being created.

Salem Haddad, vice president of Fairmont Sign Co., said their family business is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

"We are a nationally recognized sign company and we spend a lot of time engineering customers' specific designs with longevity to ensure they can withstand the elements," Haddad said. "In this case, every one of our workers will play a role in building the Detroit sign from molding to welding, fabricating and installing."

Installation of the signs is expected to take two or three weeks.

The five "Welcome to Detroit" signs will be at southbound Interstate 75 at Eight Mile, eastbound Interstate 96 and Telegraph, northbound M-39 at Ford Road, southbound M-39 at Eight Mile and westbound I-94 at Moross.

srahal@detroitnews.com

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