Won Lee Chinese-American Restaurant - DeLand, FL
N 29° 03.068 W 081° 18.241
17R E 470403 N 3213688
The Won Lee Chinese-American Restaurant, located in Deland, Florida, USA, has a neon sign.
Waymark Code: WMBKDH
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 05/29/2011
Views: 4
A controversy has occurred over this sign. The DeLand City Commission passed a new, stricter sign law in 1999, and the City Commissioners gave businesses 10 years to bring their signs into compliance. That decade of grace expired in May 2008; however, the sign is still there.
The following details of this sign controversy are from a
West Volusia Beacon Online news story:
"Poon, co-owner of Won Lee's, along with William Lee and several other partners... inherited the tall sign when they bought the restaurant property at 1329 N. Woodland Blvd. in the late 1970s. For at least 20 years before that, the landmark had signaled the presence of the Boulevard Diner and, before that, Jack's Boulevard Diner.
The prospect of tearing down the sign bothers at least one member of the DeLand City Commission.
"Some of the character of DeLand is our old stuff," Commissioner Leigh Matusick said, when Poon came to talk about his sign at the July 9 City Commission meeting. "I think it's historic."
Generations of West Volusia residents could find Won Lee's even if it had no sign, but Poon doesn't want to remove the restaurant's streetside symbol. It's a DeLand landmark, worthy of preservation, he said.
The sign could easily be 50 years old. It has the classic 1950s high-rise look to it."