Aunt Millie’s Bakeries is removing the Sunbeam Bread signfrom the downtown location to be refurbished and preserved. The removal and restoration will begin immediately with relocation updates to follow as plans progress.
Aunt Millie’s is looking for the perfect home for the iconic sign that has been a part of the downtown Fort Wayne scenery for more than 67 years. The hope is to keep the sign a part of downtown Fort Wayne; however, if no resolution can be found the sign will ultimately land at the new corporate office at 6230 Bluffton Road.
Aunt Millie’s no longer owns the property at 350 Pearl Street so we cannot guarantee the sign’s preservation. Given the current downtown development we believe that by restoring the sign now we can make sure it will be a part of Fort Wayne for many years to come.
“We are excited that the sign is being preserved,” says Bohn Popp, Aunt Millie’s Executive Vice President of Quality and Brand Strategy. “We know it has been a part of so many great memories for generations of Fort Wayne residents, and we are committed to preserving the sign for future generations.”
The Sunbeam Bread sign was commissioned in 1957 by current Aunt Millie’s President John Popp’s late brother, H. Leslie Popp Jr. Measuring 36 feet across and 15.5 feet high, the sign shows a giant loaf of Sunbeam bread emptying onto a plate, slice by slice. The scene is powered by a small engine, rotating the graphic illustrating nine slices of bread. Each slice takes 2.3 seconds to fall.
More about Local Fort Wayne Company, Aunt Millie’s:
Founded in 1901, Aunt Millie’s Bakeries is a family-owned commercial bakery headquartered in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and is one of the largest commercial baking and distribution companies in the United States. Its brands include Aunt Millie’s, Live Carb Smart®, Sunbeam and Hillbilly Bread. Aunt Millie’s also produces private-label products for major retailers and fast-food restaurants. For more information, visit AuntMillies.com.
