Zoning Board Delays Decision on Unisys Logo for Liberty Place

by KYW's Mike Dunn

The controversy over plans by Unisys Corp. to put its logo on the side of one of the Liberty Place towers will not be resolved until the fall at the earliest. 

Unisys officials told the Zoning Board of Adjustment that they will relocate more than 200 high-paying positions to Two Liberty Place, but only if they can put a 16-foot-high LED signs of the firm's logo on two sides of the skyscraper. 

Testifying in support of the sign was University of Pennsylvania historian George Thomas, who said the opponents are a handful of very rich condo owners in Liberty Place:

"These are people who don't even have silver spoons.  They have gold spoons."

But attorney Stanley Krackower said residents in other parts of center city oppose the sign:

"It transforms a beautiful icon building into being a billboard."

The zoning board had set aside two hours to debate the matter, but the company and opponents will need more time to present their cases. So the request for a zoning variance will now be continued in September.

Unisys spokesman Jim Kerr said before that hearing that the goal of the sign is some center city prominence for Unisys Corp. as it moves its headquarters from Blue Bell, Pa. into center city Philadelphia:

"This would be our headquarters.  It's important for us, especially as a service company, to have visibility to our clients.  We bring clients in from around the world."

Among those opposed to Unisys' plan was Mary Tracey of the anti-blight group "Scrub," who said before the hearing that if approved, the Unisys logo will open the floodgates:

"How do you say yes to Unisys, that they can put their logo, and not to other companies?  And frankly, many of these companies have been here for decades.  We really strongly believe that its a sign that just does not belong there, nor is it legally allowed to be there."

Kerr, the Unisys spokesman, says the signs won't bother residents of the building:
   
"We took a lot of care in designing the signage and the logo and the placement of it so that it would not impact the people in the building."

(Artist's rendering from Unisys Corp.)