The holiday season in downtown Baton Rouge officially kicks off Friday evening with the Festival of Lights. But while downtown buildings will be aglow and the North Boulevard Town Square Christmas tree will be illuminated, it’s not at all clear that the iconic neon Coca-Cola sign atop the Raising Cane’s at the corner of Florida and Third streets will be turned on for the festivities.
For more than six months now, the sign has been dark while attorneys for the building’s owner and the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge try to amicably resolve a dispute over who owns it. For now, they remain at an impasse.
Businessman Mike Crouch acquired the building in 2013 for $1.2 million. His attorney has said the sign came with it and that Crouch is therefore entitled to compensation for advertising space, insurance and maintenance. But the Arts Council maintains it was given the sign in a 2002 donation by a previous owner—and they say they have the paperwork to prove it.
Controversy over the sign came to the fore last May when, on the eve of the opening of Raising Cane’s on the ground floor of the historic Richoux Building, Crouch had the sign covered with a black tarp. He removed the tarp one week later, and in June allowed it to be turned on briefly during the Miss USA pageant.
It has not been turned on since and attorneys for both sides will say only that negotiations are ongoing. They decline further comment, as do other key stakeholders in the sign dispute, including the local Coca-Cola bottling company, which paid $20,000 earlier this year to restore the beloved landmark, as well as Downtown Development District Executive Director Davis Rhorer. —Stephanie Riegel
