Merita Bread sign, c. 1961 Metal, glass, neon Robert Joseph Galler, American, 1930–2014, designer Wallace Neon Manufacturing, Inc., Orlando, Florida, 1938–67, maker In the collection of The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art, Winter Park, Florida; gift of Maudlin International Trucks (2015-034:01)
In May 1961, the Merita bread factory opened in Orlando along Interstate 4 near Division Avenue. For more than 50 years the waft of fresh baked bread delighted drivers along the route. Following the bakery’s closing, the new owners of the property donated this Merita sign, one of several, to the Morse Museum. These signs joined the Museum’s greater collection, and its efforts to preserve historical signs for future generations. Conservation and safekeeping ensure that these architectural treasures will recall the past and inspire sublime beauty in modern surroundings. At nearly 18 feet high and 48 feet long, the Merita sign is one of the largest objects in the Morse’s collection.
