The Erie-LaSalle Body Shop in River West, a family-run business for 92 years, has been sold to Gerber Collision & Glass, a national auto repair chain. The deal closed on February 13, with the new owners replacing the shop’s well-known mid-century neon sign—a depiction of a 1957 Plymouth—with their own branding at both the River West and Little Village locations.
Bob Gottfred, who led the business after his stepbrother’s death and managed it for decades alongside his sons, described selling as “an offer we couldn’t refuse.” He reflected on his career by saying, “It’s been gratifying, taking a car that’s wrecked, pieces of steel all bent up, to put it back together and deliver it to somebody.”
Recognizing the historical value of the more-than-1,000-pound neon sign rather than seeing it scrapped, Gottfred sold it to Nathan Rock of Industrial Artifacts. Rock moved the sign to DeKalb for restoration and is searching for a Chicago-based collector or organization willing to display it publicly. However, he acknowledged uncertainty about whether the sign will return: “I hate to be the guy who takes it out of Chicago, but I don’t know if anyone was presenting Bob [Gottfred] with real opportunities,” Rock said. “He maintained the sign. It’s not unreasonable to expect a return at the end of it.”
The removal has prompted concern among local preservationists over what they see as growing threats to Chicago’s classic neon signs. Kelsey McClellan, a local sign-maker aiming to establish a nonprofit dedicated to preserving these signs, commented on competing interests: “There’s no one to blame,” she said. “We need to figure out how the goal of preservation becomes more important than profiting.” She estimates about 30 historic neon signs remain across Chicago.
McClellan believes that offering tax incentives could encourage businesses to donate vintage signage instead of selling them privately. However, she noted public awareness is lacking: “The city has more difficult issues to face, but we have to collectively make a decision if these signs are worth saving,” McClellan said. “They are a big part of our community that anchor us to our past and the histories and stories of the small businesses that made it.”
A 2023 ordinance passed by City Council allows new building owners in Chicago to keep certain designated vintage signs even after permit expiration; this measure previously saved Grace’s Furniture sign in Logan Square following redevelopment.
Still, Ward Miller from Preservation Chicago pointed out there are limited financial reasons for small business owners like Gottfred not simply accepting buyout offers: “The costs fall on owners,” Miller said. He also noted that official historical designations typically require landmarking an entire building—not just its signage.
Neon signs were once common throughout Chicago until stricter regulations began in the 1960s; later advances such as large-format printing further reduced demand for skilled traditional sign-making labor.
McClellan explained that today’s small businesses often choose online advertising over investing in costly physical signage due partly to thin profit margins and continued city restrictions on larger electronic displays.
She recounted her own efforts at preservation through her company Heart & Bone—recently restoring Central Camera’s downtown neon—and warned: “The few historic signs left, they’ll never be replaced… Any minute a business owner can get an offer, and another sign is gone.”
Reflecting on his family legacy dating back nearly a century—founded by his stepfather Ivan Goodmonson during hard times—Gottfred shared mixed feelings about retirement and seeing reactions when removing such visible markers from neighborhoods: “It makes you bluer,” he said. “I’m not going to miss the insurance companies. But the people. The people, for sure.”
Preservation advocates hope earlier outreach could help save other iconic pieces before they’re lost or removed from their original context entirely.“Part of keeping the sign up is keeping the family’s story alive,” McClellan said. “There’s stories tied to the sign.”
