Lady Columbia - Artistic Neon - Ybor City, Florida, USA.
N 27° 57.618 W 082° 26.137
17R E 358786 N 3093634
Lady Columbia’ Neon sign lights up Ybor City. A 11 feet tall Lady Columbia Neon sign complete with Eagle & the Stars & Stripes Flag, all edged in Neon, grace the US-AmeriBank in the Historic District of Ybor City, Florida.
Waymark Code: WMQ0TR
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 11/25/2015
Views: 2
‘Lady Columbia’ sign lights up Ybor City. USAmeriBank has a re-creation of the historic "Lady Columbia" Neon sign, displayed on the front corner of its premises. This retro Neon Lady is over 11 feet tall, & accompanied by a Shield, an Eagle & the Stars & Stripes Flag, all are edged in white Neon.
"The original 'Lady Columbia' sign was installed more than 60 years ago and is owned by the Grimaldi family, who also owned Columbia Bank that opened in 1936 on E. 7th Avenue. In line with the restoration of the building under its new name USAmeriBank, the new sign honors the past and fits with other historical signs in Ybor by incorporating retro neon lights." Text Source; (
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"Clearwater-based USAmeriBank bowed to history as it raised an 11-foot sign at its new Ybor City branch, housed in the former Columbia Bank building. The sign reflects the style of the Lady Columbia sign that graced the building in the ‘40s and ‘50s, complete with neon lights.
The old Columbia Bank opened in Ybor City at the height of the Great Depression, in 1936, and managed to thrive in the neighborhood for decades.
USAmeriBank chose the distinctive image rather than a standard bank sign because it fit the culture on Seventh Avenue, Shari Middleton, senior vice president and branch manager, tells Coffee Talk. “The Lady Columbia sign was such an iconic sign back in the day. That was always part of our thought process, to bring her back.”
StudioMax Design, a Tampa-based design and advertising company, and Thomas Sign & Awning Co., a Clearwater sign manufacturer, collaborated on the sign for the Ybor site.
But the sign is only part of the story. Inside, in additional touches with historical echoes, USAmeriBank installed tin ceilings and marble floors. The restoration, for which USAmeriBank CEO Joe Chillura was the driving force, was important to the bank’s strategy in embracing the community, says Middleton. And the community has responded in kind.
Many residents and merchants in the district have joined the bank as customers since the branch opened in March. “Ever since Columbia Bank left, Ybor City has never had a community bank,” the branch manager says." Text Source & See more at: (
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