After lengthy delays, one of Sugar House’s most cherished old business signs is being restored to some of its original vintage glory.
The aquamarine metallic spinning starburst sign known as the Rotosphere, hovering above 1048 E. 2100 South in Salt Lake City, will receive ongoing maintenance and repairs in the evenings this week. Work began Monday night.
The crane work is likely to lead to sporadic overnight closures of one lane along adjacent McClelland Street, according to a recent city notice sent to nearby business and property owners.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) The historic Rotosphere sign above the site of the old Granite Furniture building in Sugar House.
Long a fixture atop Sugar House’s old Granite Furniture Store, the spiky ball — also called the Sputnik sign by some — was installed in the early 1960s, one of roughly 234 made nationwide in that era. The relic is today one of only a handful of its kind that are fully operational and on public display across the U.S., according to the website RoadsideArchitecture.com.
The Sugar House sign has also become something of a glowing symbol over the years of the funky and thriving business district around it.
Property records indicate the sign fixture and business property it is currently mounted above are owned by an arm of Salt Lake City-based Boulder Ventures Development, known as 2100 Sugarhouse, LLC.
The vertical aquamarine panels supporting the Rotosphere now feature business names, with the entire glowing structure now floating above Hopkins Brewing Co., a brewery and restaurant that has leased the location since late 2019.
“It’ll be really exciting to have it fully lit up and spinning again,” said Chad Hopkins, owner of Hopkins Brewing. “It’s always been a great landmark to direct people how to get to Hopkins. It’s even on our shirts.”
A representative for the property owner confirmed to The Salt Lake Tribune that a city notice indicated the work was authorized to get underway this week. Maintenance to the Rotosphere will restore a bearing crucial to the sign’s rotating motion as well as replace red LEDs along several of its tendrils, the representative said.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Road construction along 1300 East near 2100 South on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025.
The maintenance had reportedly been delayed by more than a year due to extensive road construction along 2100 South.
Refurbishing and restoring the sign comes as small businesses, retailers and restaurants all along that stretch in Sugar House are eager to bounce back from a period of slowed foot and car traffic due to the prolonged roadwork.
Sugar House’s Rotosphere has undergone several waves of regular maintenance over the decades. A 2016 overhaul saw the spiky ball structure lowered to the ground and deconstructed for a fix to its rotating mechanism and to swap some of its original neon lights for LEDs.
Work will be conducted by experts from regional sign maker YESCO. Plans call for using a tall crane anchored on McClelland Street, roughly from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. on successive evenings this week.
Hopkins said Tuesday afternoon the ball had been temporarily removed the night before.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Cory Barker of Rainbow Neon Sign Co. prepares the Salt Lake Costume Co. sign as it goes back to its original location at 1700 South and 1100 East in 2019, above what is now called the Salt Lake Costume Apartments.
Along with being widely recognized in Utah’s capital, the Rotosphere is also symbolic of a concerted effort over the years by Sugar House supporters to preserve a series of vintage landmarks amid rapid development in the once predominantly red-bricked business district.
Similar signs targeted for preservation by Sugar House fans include the former Snelgrove Ice Cream cone sign still standing at about 850 E. 2100 South; the neon knight on the old Salt Lake Costume Co. building; and the former Stark Steering sign, which is currently being preserved in storage.
(Paul Fraughton | Tribune file photo) The Snelgrove ice cream sign in Sugar House, Tuesday, July 2, 2013.
Preservation Utah at one point developed a walking tour with for some of Sugar House’s old signs. Leaders in Salt Lake City have since adopted citywide protections for historic and vintage signs to encourage their retention, restoration, reuse and reinstallation.