Doggie Diner wins fight over sign

The interests of business and historic preservation clashed when Mr. Jerry Silva met with the Comstock Historic District Commission for the second time Tuesday evening. But the show-down produced a precedent, a unanimous decision, and more compromise than fireworks.

Debate swirled around the Doggie Diner sign in front of Silva's establishment, presently under construction in Dayton's historic district.

"Why spend $5,000 on a sign that no one can see," Silva countered in reference to the watered-down version of his sign that met the criteria set by the Commission. "It will blend so much (with the building) no one will be able to see it unless it's back-lit."

But the familiar logo had many strikes against it.

The Commission objected to the back-illuminated plastic, preferring the more historically accurate front-illuminated paint, or wood. The style of the lettering was unacceptable because it originated in the fifties, and the Commission has discouraged the use of any cartoon logo created before 1942.

Ron James of the State Historic Preservation Office argued in favor of the sign.

"This is an image that dates back to 1936." James said. "This doesn't have a thing to do with the traditional Comstock era, mining in the old west in the 1860's or 1870's, or even mining the the thirties. This speaks, in a lot of ways to the heritage of Dayton, the Lincoln Highway, and the development in the 1930's through that area."

Built in the twenties, the Lincoln Highway was a project of monumental proportions for its day. It stretched between the country's coasts, giving people access to Nevada and its fledgling tourist industry for the first time.

James noted that although they have to hold the line against cartoon-like images, this one speaks clearly to the history of the Dayton area.

The decision was unanimous.

The more colorful logo was approved, but the sign will be lit from the front, and painted rather than the back-lit plastic used in other Doggie Diner franchises.

The Commission was created in 1969 in the wake of the Bonanza television series when it was determined that historic preservation had become regionally important economic resource that could be diminished if measures to preserve it were not implemented.

The Comstock Historic District Commission encompasses Virginia City, Gold Hill, Silver City, Dayton, and Sutro, and is given the authority by state law to regulate all properties within historic areas, offering guidelines for exteriors, signs, and pavement.