Sign of the times

Event venue Niwot Hall is making its holiday debut with new signage on the building at 195 Second Avenue in Old Town Niwot. Niwotian Bert Cashman of Cashman Sign Company began installing the letters and logo he created on the front of the building on Nov. 21. Additional signage will be put up on the Franklin Street side of the building.

The project included removing the former sign that read "Left Hand Grange No. 9," which Cashman had also made and installed in 2009. That sign will be reinstalled on the west side of the building as the Grange organization continues to meet at Niwot Hall.

The 107-year-old building was purchased by Left Hand Grange, Inc., in 1945 from the Nelson estate, and for the past 79 years, the building has been referred to simply as "The Grange."

In August, Niwot Hall received the go ahead for the new signs from the Boulder County Historical Preservation Advisory Committee which required a nod of approval from the Niwot Design Review Committee before proceeding. The size, colors, and style of the signs were integral to receiving an endorsement of the signage.

Niwot Hall, a newly formed 501(c)(3) organization, acquired the building from Left Hand Grange, Inc., earlier this year. Having this charitable non-profit designation is a strategy intended to help provide the resources needed to maintain and improve the historic community venue as it allows the organization to raise tax-deductible donations and apply for grants that would otherwise have been unobtainable. In the past, the majority of funds that have been available to support the building have come from rentals of the downstairs and upstairs halls in the space.

In addition to remaining the home of Left Hand Grange No. 9, the board of directors of Niwot Hall is focusing on renting the rebranded building for small-sized weddings (referred to as micro-weddings) and continuing to be a venue for cultural events and community gatherings of all kinds.