Ask yourself...Would you slap a bumper sticker on a Bentley?

On Saturday, November 21, 2020, TRUIST financial (formerly BB&T/SunTrust) installed garish signage atop their skyscraper in Charlotte, NC. The tower is a classic example of Art Deco architecture, and could be considered Charlotte's Chrysler Building. Now... large, oversized, TRUIST signs cover unique detailing of architectural significance. The signage is gaudy, poorly designed, and is a scarlet letter on Charlotte's beautiful skyline. It must be removed!

The goal of this petition is to show the public's support for removal of the signs. Should Truist wish to re-install different signage... we ask that the scale, location, and design be approved by an independent architectural design committee consisting of academic, civic, and business leaders.

We are thankful for Truist's investment in the city of Charlotte, and welcome the company and its team members to the city. We simply hate the ugly signs on one of Charlotte's most prominent buildings. 

BACKGROUND:

The tower is one of the few skyscrapers in the South that is illustrative of this uniquely American design. Would Bank of America put their logo atop our city's tallest? NO. 

The Hearst building stood for years without a giant logo. The building was purchased by Truist Financial and in July 2020, in the midst of a global pandemic, the Charlotte city council voted unanimously to approve a rezoning request to allow for the oversized signage (without ANY submitted public input). 

Public reaction to the signage has been overwhelmingly negative. If you care to read public comments on reddit regarding the signage, open a new tab here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Charlotte/comments/jyf1gn/the_truist_signage_on_the_former_hearst_tower_is/

According to Tony Mecia of the Charlotte Business Ledger, "Comments from around the web included:

• “It is like a bad Photoshop job.”
• “Is that real? It looks like a child made it.”
• “Were they trying to find something that clashed with the building design?”
• “It looks like somebody typed out TRUIST on the world’s largest label maker and then just slapped it on the side of the building.” "

Who approved the signage: "Truist won approval from the city this summer to install the signs. The city’s planning department found the sign request consistent with center city development plans, and the zoning committee that consists of Charlotte residents voted 4-3 to recommend approval, too, though the three voting against worried the signs would detract from the building’s Art Deco design and the city’s skyline. Nobody spoke in opposition at a June public hearing, and the full City Council voted unanimously in July to approve the rezoning request.

Truist bought the 47-story building in March for $456M."

 - Source, Tony Mecia, Charlotte Business Ledger. This petition is in no way affiliated with Tony Mecia or the Charlotte Business Ledger. We are just quoting Tony's reporting on the topic in hopes of providing context and clarity. 

The signage has even attracted its own Twitter account: https://twitter.com/TRUISTsignage

Please sign and share this petition. Let's Make Charlotte Beautiful Again!!!