![]() (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)įor historians and the city’s old-timers, the 120-by-70-foot mammoth erected in 1951 brings back nostalgic memories of the city’s industrial past, when factories dotted the landscape and manufacturing was the way that many people fed their families. The relighting of the iconic Domino Sugars sign on the Fourth of July, accompanied by fireworks and celebratory light displays, marks its return to the Baltimore skyline after a four-month, $2 million restoration. As it has slowly reappeared in recent days, as workers have replaced each letter in preparation for its relighting on July 4, it has once again stirred up talk about its meaning. What’s Baltimore without the Domino Sugars sign? And what bad timing, removing something so familiar when COVID-19 had already turned everyone’s normal upside down. Still, news that it was coming down because of wear and tear and was to be replaced by a more modern environmentally friendly, LED-version, but with the same look as the old one, caused quite a buzz around town - a topic of water cooler conversation, though often virtually given the pandemic. Lucky for Baltimoreans for whom the sign stirred up good memories, it was never intended to be gone for good. It was a landmark that said “this is Baltimore.” In fact, the Domino sign was built by the same company who created the iconic neon signs in The Big Apple, New York’s Artkraft Strauss Co. ![]() To Baltimore, the Domino sign was as much a part of its fabric as the Radio City Music Hall sign that blazes across New York City’s Rockefeller Center, or the dozens of similarly lit marquees that make it seem like it’s always daytime in Times Square. That’s when the lights were shut off on the iconic “Domino Sugars” sign, which brightened up the Inner Harbor and could be viewed from various vantage points around the city. In addition to Domino Sugar, American Sugar Refining (ASR Group) companies include C&H Sugar, Redpath Sugar (Canada), Tate & Lyle Sugars (UK), Sidul Acucares (Portugal), Belize Sugar Industries, Ingenio San Nicolas (Mexico), SRB (Italy) and Tellus Products.The Baltimore skyline has looked a little dim ever since March 1, when a 70-year piece of history disappeared from sight. 27 as the plant was brought back online after operations were halted as a precaution ahead of Hurricane Laura. That explosion was said to have been caused by a buildup of sugar dust and resulted in the total loss of the powdered sugar mill.ĭomino’s sugar refinery in Chalmette, La., was briefly closed last summer after a fire broke out in storage silos on Aug. In November 2007 an explosion and fire forced the Baltimore plant to shut down for about a week. Domino was in the midst of replacing the iconic rooftop Domino Sugars neon sign with an LED replica that was set to be unveiled July 4, according to local reports. The 99-year-old refinery employs 510 full-time workers and processes about 6.5 million lbs of raw cane sugar daily. ![]() The cause of the fire is under investigation.”ĭomino’s Baltimore refinery is a major supplier of sugar to the Northeast. The refinery is currently not operating, and the fire department remains on the scene. All employees are accounted for and no injuries occurred. “The Baltimore City Fire Department was immediately contacted, and the refinery was evacuated. on Tuesday,” Domino parent company American Sugar Refining Inc., said. “A fire in the raw sugar shed of the Baltimore refinery was reported at approximately 3 p.m.
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