As Larry Judkins maneuvers his wayinto the city his mind begins paging through a book of thoughts. The crest of downtown Memphis rises into plain view while morning breathes life into a new day. Lights from hotels, sporting venues and other prominent structures meet the sun’s rays, adding to the city’s glow. Judkins takes in the entire scene and makes a mental note. Something’s missing.

A professional in the area of corporate real estate, it’s his job to be particular of structural details, especially when it involves his company. “I noticed that our existing sign didn’t pop like the other buildings and their signs,” says Judkins. “It hit me that there was an area we could increase and enlarge over what we had.”

Judkins, the senior vice president of construction and design for First Tennessee Bank, searched intently to fill the glaring void. With Memphis maturing greatly recently, he aimed at hatching an idea that would surpass those companies which enjoyed a comfortable head start with their signage.
“Memphis has picked up quite a bit in the last few years and there’s a lot of development,” says Judkins.

It took about four or five months to gather some rough estimates and present a concept to the powers that be, but Judkins eventually received the necessary support. The result would change the city, making First Tennessee Bank a recognizable mainstay on the Memphis horizon.

A TALL ORDER
Standing at 23 stories tall, First Tennessee Bank’s corporate building on Madison Avenue presented ample space and opportunity for eye-catching signage. Prior to Judkins’ revelation, a small bank emblem served as the structure’s only source of company identification. The new plan would include four sets of channel letters around each side of the rooftop to further distinguish the Memphis-based company.

“We had only the logo and this was a way to add our name,” says Judkins.

Judkins also conjured up a “bright” idea when he suggested a fully illuminated sign configuration using lighted walls behind the lettering. The combination of lamps and aluminum channel lettering would provide First Tennessee Bank a much needed boost in brand recognition. And when Mitchell Signs was contracted for the implementation of the project, the pieces began coming together.

“We are the single source vendor for First Tennessee,” says Kristi Hodges, senior account executive, Mitchell Signs. “But because of the size and scope, the project was bid out by the architect.”

For 10 years Mitchell Signs and First Tennessee Bank have shared a comfortable working relationship, since the Mississippi-based sign company helped re-brand the bank’s Tennessee locations with a new image in the late ’90s. This time around, the job would focus on one location over a span of four months from Mitchell’s bid award to the final installation.

Joining Mitchell Signs on the project were Looney Ricks Kiss (LRK) Architects for design elements; Frank Balton Signs as a fabrication and installation partner; Grinder, Taber & Grinder for the structural support installation; and Liles Engineering Design Consultants for the coordination of electrical components.

“The key,” says Judkins, “is we put together a good team and made the product come together smoothly.”

LETTERS IN LIGHTS
Many questions would arise while contemplating the best way to tackle the project. Fabrication methods and material selection were two issues that came to the forefront as Mitchell Signs focused on achieving a signage theme that fit as an integral part of the building.

Adding to Judkins’ vision, the decision to use channel letters, LEDs and backlit sign cabinets became apparent.

“The logos and letters were custom fabricated in our shop with over 1,900 hours of labor,” says Hodges.

The individually fabricated channel letters were constructed of .125 and .090 welded aluminum. The illuminated logos, made from aluminum and translucent .125 GE Duo-Gard Lexan faces, appear on all sides of the building and measure 16' high by 16' wide by 9" deep. Each logo is internally illuminated with 2,840 feet of GE Tetra Power White LEDs, which calculates to two LEDs per foot.

After the fabrication process, all logo and letter elements were attached to four lighted cabinet walls.

“We conducted shop viewings and six night ‘mock-up’ viewings on top of the building in an effort to determine just the right amount of illumination,” says Hodges.

The First Tennessee logos measure 16’ high by 16’ wide and 9” deep. They are internally illuminated with 2,840 feet of LEDs.

A large staging area was set up close to the building where some of the parts were assembled in full. Sign sections not exceeding 2,500 pounds were helicopter lifted to the top of the building for installation.

In all, 20 light and color combinations were studied as cabinet frame paint and finishes were selected to complement the existing building theme. Comprised of massive chunks of sign cabinetry, a 23 and a half foot by 138 foot long and four foot deep wall was assembled to cover the building’s rooftop space. Each wall, fit with clear 1/4" Lexan faces and 3M 60% diffuser film, was illuminated with Lithonia T8 lamps.

The fabrication process began on July 15, leaving the crew minimal time to finish with the construction. Despite the hurdle, fabrication was completed in less than a month and a half, allowing installation to begin at the end of August.

“There were, of course, some challenges. We had to go back and research the original structure of the building and determine how we could erect new columns to support the signs,” says Judkins. “But everything went very smoothly.”

A BIG LIFT
Such a massive collection of materials required special needs during installation which proved to be a “complicated matter” as Hodges describes it.

“So many public events take place in downtown Memphis, it was necessary to check sports schedules as well as entertainment schedules at several venues,” says Hodges.

Proper permission needed to be granted by the city to create a substantial staging area spanning across a location close to the First Tennessee building. And, since the signage elements would be helicopter-lifted into place, the FAA had to approve the flight path.

When the formalities came together, the helicopter labor, performed by St. Louis Helicopter of St. Louis, Mo., commenced and included 28 separate lifts to complete the installation. Wind and air temperature against the weight of the sign sections made for a tricky task. Hodges explains that no section could exceed 2,500 pounds “because it is a very meticulous process to fit each section into place and it is imperative for the lift to be steady.”

Because of the wind and air pressure, each piece was carefully weighed and installed in sections. A total of 28 lifts were made by St. Louis Helicopter, filling each side of the rooftop.

On September 9, the north and west sides of the building were set in place, finalizing the installation. Such a rapidly constructed project, complete with the desired detail, pleased Judkins who said, “We placed them under some very strict timelines and they performed and exceeded all levels of expectation.”

Visible throughout all of downtown, with views from the Mississippi River, the FedEx Forum, the Peabody Hotel and Redbird Stadium, the sign has changed the look of the city.

“You can see the white box from 10 miles away,” says Judkins.

Hodges explains the impact of such a creation: “This project is very important as it permanently changes the Memphis skyline,” she says. “For years to come this building will be photographed and become a piece of the history of the City of Memphis.”