The Sunshine Hotel Loses Its Signage

Not good. The Sunshine Hotel, a flophouse on the Bowery for decades (est. 1922), recently lost part of its identity to the forces of gentrification. Its lightbox signage was first put into jeopardy when the plywood arrived on scene at 241 Bowery in early April.  The sidewalk shed was painted a month later, just before the Festival of Ideas, advertising an ever-elusive opening date for the Bowery Diner.

However, we walked by yesterday afternoon and noticed that the plastic nameplate insert disappeared. What’s left now is the skeletal frame. Now the only markings of the Sunshine Hotel that remain are letters stickered above the entrance.

The Sunshine Hotel is being assaulted from below, with two high-profile restaurants simultaneously in the works. The jury is still out on whether this iteration of the sign returns.  To be honest, we’d like to see the homecoming of some old-school neons.