PHOTO FROM MEETING PACKET
Members of the Berlin Historic District Commission last week said they preferred the old Calvin B. Taylor Bank logo, seen here, to the new, more modern graphic.

By Josh Davis, Associate Editor

(Dec. 13, 2018) Members of the Berlin Historic District Commission last Wednesday appeared to hold their noses as they approved new, more modern signs for Calvin B. Taylor Bank.

Both before and after the 3-2 vote, commission members said they preferred the current signs as more in keeping with the historic downtown.

Designs for three new signs included in the meeting packet showed rectangular white, vinyl hanging signs with diamond-shaped symbols in blue and green, and the words “Taylor Bank” written in blue in a simple, contemporary font. These would replace the old wooden hanging signs on Main Street and Broad Street that read “Calvin B. Taylor Bank, EST. 1890” that feature the iconic pineapple logos.

“I like the old one better,” commission member Laura Stearns said. “The whole thing with that bank is it’s historic … to me, I just think it’s a contemporary sign on an old building that doesn’t go with it.”

“It looks like the Bank of Ocean City,” commission member Mary Moore added. “It would be nice to just see something more traditional in town … I’m going to vote against it, because I don’t think it’s in keeping [with the historic downtown].”

When the vote was called, commissioners Norman Bunting and Robert Poli voted to approve the signs. Chairwoman Carol Rose paused and then said, “I guess I’ll ‘aye.’” Moore and Stearns were opposed.

Later during the meeting, commission members again turned to the subject of the bank signs.

“Whenever I go in that bank … I always think, this is the way a bank should look,” Stearns said. “I think it’s beautiful.”

Moore said she had seen the Calvin B. Taylor Bank as “that stately building on the corner,” but joked they might as well add a Starbucks at this point.

“Oh, we’re so hip, we’re so cool,” she said. “There are things … that need the dignity of a proper sign.”

Stearns agreed.

“Before, it stood out to me as something unique for our town,” she said. “Now, it does just like [a building in Ocean City].”

Also during the meeting, commission members unanimously approved home improvements for three houses on Main Street.

They include a pole building on 417 South Main Street, an addition on 507 South Main Street, and replacement windows and repairs to a side porch on 21 South Main Street.

Rose, prior to all of the approvals, made a statement.

“Three of the items on the agenda tonight are regarding three single-family homes in the district,” she said. “I just want to make sure that, when the applicant comes up, that we understand completely what you’re asking and that, when we vote, the applicant understands what we have voted.

“It’s our purpose here to work with everyone that comes the best we can, to help you with whatever you want to do with your property and the district,” Rose continued. “I feel that, if you have invested in a home in the historic district, you care about our town, you care about our heritage and the homes, and that you will work with us to try to maintain the integrity of the properties. All the homes this evening are especially important to the district.”

Later during the meeting, she cautioned one applicant, “If something comes along that you may want to do something different than what’s approved, you’ve got to come back.

“You can’t evolve something two-to-three weeks down the road,” Rose said. “What we’ve [approved] tonight is what you’ve gotta do. And I’m serious about this.”