When is neon Disneyland?
Georgetown residents can be very specific about protecting their community, particularly against over-commercialization, most particularly its historic character. Too much neon can violate these rules and the neon signs that Prince Café has added to its two establishments on Wisconsin Avenue have prompted Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Bill Starrels to take action.
“It’s completely out of bounds for Georgetown,” he said. This kind of “Disneyland display is wrong and garish.” While he welcomes neon, even elaborate in an intense entertainment area like at the Verizon Center at 7th & H Streets, NW, he says it’s not appropriate for “a historically protected community” like Georgetown and "any business should know better.”
Starrels has brought the matter to the attention of Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans, who has publicly agreed that too much neon is a problem in Georgetown, the Georgetown BID and the District’s Historic Preservation Office