Clover Deli Neon Sign

This is a wrap-around style neon sign meant to be displayed on the exterior corner so it would be eye-catching from around the corner and down different avenues. It was for Clover Delicatessen which opened in 1948 located at 621 2nd Avenue on the southwest corner of East 34th Street in the Kips Bay and Murray Hill neighborhoods of Manhattan, NY. Clover Deli was a third generation family business run by the Cuttita Family for 72 years before announcing their permanent closure in 2020.

The sign went up in 1957 and remained a constant in the neighborhood until is 2020 closure. As of 2020, the sign was fully operational.

The sign is typical 1950s New York construction: neon-illuminated, open channel stainless steel letters on a stainless steel raceway.  It’s a look you see on many drug stores and liquor stores, for example, throughout the five boroughs.  But it did have some special qualities. First, the letters were faced with porcelain enamel—a nice touch.  Secondly, the sign wrapped the corner which made it more interesting than the usual fascia (building-mounted) sign.

Fair: neon needs to be restored