A Kentucky New Era sign was installed Monday, Dec. 9, at 713 S. Main St., signaling that the newspaper’s staff will soon move into the downtown Hopkinsville building.
The sign is a replica of the New Era’s front-page name plate in an Old English font that has been the local paper’s signature since it was established shortly after the Civil War. It includes a period at the end of the name, an old custom that was dropped by many newspapers decades ago but remained in the New Era out of affection for the tradition. The 18-inch-tall letters in the sign are white and have LED lights with a solar cell to automatically trigger illumination in the evening, said New Era publisher Brandon Cox.
There was never any doubt that he wanted the distinctive name plate on the building, he said. It is prominent against a fresh coat of black paint above new windows on the building’s front.
Twenty staff members who comprise the newsroom, business office, advertising and circulation are scheduled to move into the new offices on Dec. 20. They will leave behind the New Era’s facility on East Ninth Street near Skyline Drive, which had been the newspaper’s home since 1971.
“We’re excited,” said Cox, noting that the renovated storefront building at Eighth and Main is a mix of nostalgia and modern styling.
The move will put the New Era back in the downtown district where it was established in 1869 — and just around the corner from its last home downtown at Seventh and Bethel streets.
