The PELACO Sign was erected in 1939 on top of the PELACO Company’s factory in Goodwood St, Richmond. The sign, a large double sided sky sign with individual box letters illuminated in neon, was erected by the Claude Neon Company. The sign is historically significant for its associations with PELACO, the best known shirt manufacturer in Australia. The PELACO sign is socially important with its size and prominence symbolising the dominant role played by the PELACO Company in Australia as a shirt manufacturer. The sign also symbolises the social and economic importance of Richmond as an industrial suburb and its importance in the heartland of Victoria’s clothing and textile industry. The sign is included on the Victorian Heritage Register H1149 and individually listed in the Heritage Overlay HO259.
In principal support of $50,000 was given towards the fabrication and supply of new letters by the VHRF Committee in August 2011. The offer was subject to the completion of stabilisation and structural works to the supporting frame. In April 2015, the project manager supplied confirmation that the framing had been stabilised and that Heritage Victoria was satisfied with the preliminary work and supported the next step to install the lettering. As a result the project was taken to the May 2015 VHRF Committee meeting and the committee agreed to offer a grant of $50,000 towards reinstatement of the lettering. The whole project cost in the order of $383,000. The Ballarat company Findlay Engineering undertook the frame and letter reconstruction as well as the re-installation. The lettering was reinstalled on the building 25 June 2016 and the VHRF team were there to see it happen.
The works have reinstated an iconic feature of the Richmond skyline in accordance with the Heritage Victoria permit.