Unisys Denied Logos On Two Liberty Place

The city's Zoning Board of Adjustment this morning rejected two huge corporate logos proposed to be hung from the 37th and 38th floors of Two Liberty Place to herald the arrival of Unisys, a Fortune 500 technology company planning to relocate its world headquarters there from Blue Bell, Montgomery County.  Mayor Nutter, who appointed the ZBA board, supported the Unisys plan.

The ZBA found that Unisys failed to prove that not having the signs would present a "hardship" for the building.  The company will rent only 7 percent of the building and admitted it could still use those offices if its attempt to make Two Liberty Place part of its "branding campaign" failed.  The company also suggested it might cancel its relocation plans and try to find a new tenant to take over its 10-year lease if the signs were not allowed.

Susan Jaffe, the ZBA chairwoman, read a statement this morning after concluding more than 10 hours of testimony during three days of hearings.  "We recognize and support the efforts to grow, develop and attract business to our city.  Although there are currently efforts underway to amend the zoning code, the role of the board is to enforce the current zoning code.  Accordingly, we unanimously find that the applicant, to the extent that it had a right to seek a variance, has failed to meet its burden."

The two red signs, which would have been 16-foot-tall on the east and west sides of the building, were opposed by developers that recently converted the building's top 19 floors into condos and many of the residents who bought homes there.  Cigna, the building's largest corporate tenant, also opposed the Unisys logos.