Signs and Signals of the Monumental City

Photos by Adam Paul

The year 1972 was a major turning point in the changes for street directional signs in Baltimore, as old wordy signs begun to be largely replaced with standard, symbol type signs that aided both non-english speaking and illiterate drivers as well. While arrows on one way streets and octagonal stop signs had been standards for decades, the new crop of signs used an array of symbols, as well as the familiar red circle with a diagonal slash to indicate prohibited movements.

Still, over 30 years after adopting the new DOT standards, there are a handful of standouts from the old era that still simply state their messages in words, without the panache and color that have become the standards of today's signage. Here is a brief look at some of these holdouts, which I'll expand out in time as I locate more examples...


A rare side by side comparison between new and old is seen at Fayette and Highland in East Baltimore. The plain old truck route sign is overshadowed by the jazzy youngster up top.
Now the standard of a red circle with a bar in the middle with accenting words, this older example off of Curley Street in West Baltimore is a bit more cut and dry. Note the tailed one way attached.	Instead of the simple swooping arrow, this old sign tells it like it is, as long as you know English.

I KNOW THERE ARE OTHERS! HOLLER!