(Note: This sign is temporarily obscured from view—please look for it to reappear in a few months.)

Visitors to San Francisco may be surprised to see so many old brick buildings in the city by the bay—colorfully worn reminders of San Francisco’s rich history as an industrial town. In fact, there are still quite a few of these storied structures south of Market Street, where brewers, printers, engravers, and other blue-collar workers once plied their trades. Many of these buildings featured hand-painted advertising, huge signs promoting everything from beer to sheet metal. Fortunately, some of these old signs—albeit faded by time and the elements—still survive today.

So, when the opportunity arose to create one of these old signs for a "modern building," we simply couldn't resist. A drive up Second Street from AT&T Park, or across the Bay Bridge from the East Bay, will reveal the fruit of our labors, based on an original 1909 ad for Anchor Steam Beer.

Below is a slide show and time-lapse movie of our vintage-1909 sign’s installation. To see this 17' x 57' sign "live," drive, bike, or walk up 2nd Street towards Market Street from AT&T Park. Just after Bryant Street (at the old Clock Tower Building, once home to the Schmidt Lithograph Company), look up and to the right. The sign is also visible as you come into the city via the Bay Bridge. It will be on your right from the westbound lanes of I80, just before the 5th Street offramp. The more backed-up the traffic, the better the view (sorry).

We hope you enjoy our homage to old San Francisco as much as we did the creation and installation of what may be the world's first self-adhesive brick-wall!