(WTTW News)
After 100 years in operation, Dinkel’s Bakery closed for good at the end of April, but the shop’s towering neon sign has continued to mark the business’ long-time home on Lincoln Avenue.
Soon the sign will be gone too.
Donley Auctions has announced the sign will be up for bid on June 3, with proceeds of the sale to be split between Little Sisters of the Poor and Misericordia, at the direction of owner Norm Dinkel Jr. Bidding starts at $5,000.
Donley has been doing a brisk business in Chicago’s neon signs of late.
In April, the auction house handled bidding for signs from Chicago Joe’s pub and Orange Garden restaurant, both located in the city’s North Center neighborhood. Each of the signs brought in low five figures, with the winning Orange Garden bidder revealed as the wife of Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan, purchasing the sign as a surprise gift for the rock star.
Speculation regarding the fate of Dinkel’s sign began almost as soon as news began to spread of the bakery’s impending closure. The vertical beacon — “Dinkel’s” spelled out in all caps — has been as much a fixture of the surrounding Lakeview neighborhood as the bakery's cakes and doughnuts.
The eventual buyer will be responsible for removal, according to Donley.
Contact Patty Wetli: @pattywetli | (773) 509-5623 | [email protected]
