Iconic Dolle’s sign gets a freshening up

After spending 60 years perched on the corner of Rehoboth Avenue and the Boardwalk, the iconic Dolle’s sign in Rehoboth Beach was installed about two years ago on the Rehoboth Beach Museum.

Now, the museum is giving it a much-needed freshening up. Work began May 8. The crew from Milton-based Rogers Sign Co. moved the sign from its original location, attached the sign to the museum and was on hand for the facelift.

Museum board President David Mann said he’s been told that the last time the sign was painted was in the early 2000s, and he’s not sure exactly how long the new paint is expected to last, but a more robust paint was chosen than the Day Glo used in the past. The sign, now facing the west and protected in large part by the museum, is better protected now, with far less saltwater hitting it, he said, adding that the letters on the tail of the “S” will be repainted soon.

Mann said the museum had planned to do the refresh in 2027, but then a former Rehoboth Beach lifeguard approached Jen Carroll of Rehoboth Beach Main Street about funding the project. His family foundation is paying for the project, he said.

“Jen reached out to me, I got quotes, they were approved and now we will be ready for Memorial Day,” said Mann, in an email May 8.

Mann said the project is 100% paid for by the private foundation. The museum didn’t need any city funds to take it down in 2021 or to install it on the museum in 2022, he said.

Two years since the sign was installed, Mann said people continue to thank the museum for saving it.

“It has so much reach, far more than we expected,” said Mann. “It is right up there with Portland Head Light in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, and the SE USA buoy marker in Key West, Fla., for iconic photos along the East Coast of the U.S.”