La Grange, Illinois (pop. 15,550) is a southwestern suburb of Chicago, about 13 miles from the Loop. It's known for its peaceful rural life, and has been a destination village from the time it was incorporated on June 11, 1879.

As Chicago grew to the west, and after the devastating fire of 1871, La Grange soon became something of the ideal suburban village with its street trees, churches, schools, a thriving business district and rail service to ease the commute into the city. In recent years, La Grange's historic village center has become a destination for quality restaurants and shopping.

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The framework for the new signage is aluminum tube and plate construction.

The village has two major highways traversing downtown. La Grange Road (U.S. Routes 12/29/45) runs north-south, while U.S. 34 runs east-west. La Grange is also served by BNSF Railway, Amtrak and METRA, Chicago's daily commuter train, and stops at two stations within the village. This adds to La Grange's congestion and large pedestrian population.

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At the Calandar lot, the somewhat dated and less prominent signage was replaced with a more modern, taller signage with poster cases.

The 2005 downtown Comprehensive Plan recommended community-wide wayfinding to help motorists, cyclists and pedestrians better navigate in the community and downtown area. Improvements to the streetscape and pedestrian zones in downtown La Grange were done prior to the wayfinding signs, along with parking lot improvements and the construction of the village's first and only parking deck.

The village desired several wayfinding sign types: informational kiosks, parking lot signs and downtown gateway entrance features (future phase). The signage needed to convey the essence of La Grange: a good place to raise a family, a community with cultural amenities (music, art and theater), excellent dining and shopping destinations.

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The wayfinding directional signs are manufactured with .125-inch gauge alloy 6061-T6 sheet aluminum with 3M high-intensity grade reflective graphics. Signfix aluminum extrusions, affixed with high bond tape and stainless steel clamps and strapping, fasten the wayfinding directional signs to the custom aluminum poles, or, in some instances, existing light poles.

The scope of the signage work included producing a map of the area to identify the various types of signs needed and their locations; concept designs through final designs; map graphics; final bid documents; bidding assistance; contract award recommendations; and construction administration. SAA Design Group worked closely with the sign fabricator review and approving shop drawings, color and material samples and installation.

The client expressed interest in coming up with a unique signage design that would stand out from regulatory signage. Important ingredients were the color palette, readable fonts and incorporating the village seal. A grass motif, evocative of the prairie, and a cast bronze replica of the village's official seal were carried through all the signage for continuity and as a "brand' of sorts for the community. Wayfinding directional signs were manufactured with .125-inch gauge alloy 6061-T6 sheet aluminum with 3M high-intensity grade reflective graphics, along with a custom graphic of the village seal to simulate cast bronze. The arched top with its CAD/CAM cutout grass motif provides a recognizable and unique sign that complements and stands out in the urban environment.

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Specified materials for the parking lot entrance signs and informational kiosks included:
- Aluminum tube and plate construction finished with AkzoNobel coatings (automobile grade paints);
- Cast bronze for the community seal;
- Map cases internally lit with fluorescent lamps;
- LEDs for the "headers" and parking "P" symbols;
- Signfix???(R)???AE???? aluminum extrusions affixed with very high bond tape and stainless steel clamps and strapping to fasten the wayfinding directional signs to the custom aluminum poles, or, in some instances, existing light poles;
- Kiosks and parking lot entrance signs installed on concrete footings.

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The kiosks and parking lot entrance signs are installed on concrete footings. Internal fluorescent lamps light the map cases. There are LEDs on the "headers" and parking "P" symbols.

Client
Village of La Grange, Illinois
Patrick Benjamin, Director of Community Development
Angela Mesaros, Assistant Director of Community Development

Design Team
SAA Design Group, Madison, Wisconsin
David Schreiber, PLA, ASLA – Principal in Charge
Gil Jevne, PLA, ASLA – Project Manager
Bruce Morrow, PLA, ASLA – Assistant Project Manager
Rob Stein, Landscape Architect

Sign Fabricator
Poblocki Sign Co., West Allis, Wisconsin
David Huess, Architectural Sign Consultant, Production Manager

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