Signs at the `Met' on North Broad Street to emulate Philadelphia venue's 1930s look

The owners of the Metropolitan Opera House on North Broad Street plan to recreate the building's 1930s signage as part of its effort to restore the historic building for use as a concert venue.

Developer Eric Blumenfeld's EB Realty Management Corp. is basing the illuminated signs on those seen in a 1937 photograph of the venue identifying it as the "Met," according to documents filed with the Philadelphia Historical Commission.

They include: a large rooftop sign; a 70-foot-tall "blade" sign along the 1908 building's facade near its main entrance on Poplar Street; and a large oval-shaped sign affixed near the center of the building's Broad Street frontage, over an illuminated banner announcing current and upcoming shows.

The Historical Commission's Architectural Committee is scheduled to review the signage proposal and plans for exterior renovations to the building on March 28.

Blumenfeld has said he plans a $35 million renovation of the building, in which he holds a partial ownership stake, into a theater for concerts and other performances, but he has yet to identify an operator for the venue.