The American Sign Museum has closed on its purchase of property in Camp Washington and hopes to open by August 2008.

Having outgrown their current Walnut Hills location, the museum will move into an unoccupied one-story portion of the Machine Flats building at Colerain Avenue and Monmouth Street.

The move had been delayed by a year due to fundraising efforts.

The museum also had to await a zoning change within the City's Planned Development District 39 to allow for the cultural institution use.

Museum founder Tod Swormstedt estimates that $1 million will be spent on the renovation, which will include an in-house service shop.

At 40,000 square feet, the new space is nearly seven times larger than the current Walnut Hills location.

The four-story portion of the building was recently renovated by Middle Earth Developers into 60 market-rate apartments.

The building began as the Oesterlein Machine tool plant and was later the home of the Fashion Frocks clothing plant. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.

The American Sign Museum opened in 2004 with the goal of educating the public about the sign industry and its contributions to the American landscape, as well as the preservation and display of America's sign heritage.

Visit the American Sign Museum website

WINDOWS LIVE BIRD'S EYE VIEW