Among the lights that will be aglow downtown Friday night at the annual Festival of Lights will be the iconic neon Coca-Cola sign atop the historic Richoux Building, which sat vacant for years before a Raising Cane’s opened in it earlier this year.
Though a dispute over the ownership of the sign between building owner Mike Crouch and the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge remains unresolved after six months of negotiations, Crouch’s attorney says his client will allow the sign to be illuminated for Friday’s festivities.
“The parties are going to cooperate in making sure the sign is lit,” says Jim Clary, who represents Crouch. “Our agreement is that whatever is required we are going to make sure access is permitted to the Arts Council so they can bring whoever they need to address whatever requirements the sign has. Mr. Crouch is cooperating fully.”
The sign at Third and Florida streets has remained off since May, when the dispute arose over its ownership, and it was unclear at the outset of this week if it would remain dark for Friday’s annual holiday event. Crouch, who acquired the building in 2013, has said the sign was included in the purchase and that he 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 that it has the paperwork to prove it. Clary says talks with the Arts Council’s attorneys over a long-term agreement will continue.
“Interaction among the parties has been positive and ongoing and we’re trying to find a way to meet the concerns of everybody, and we’re going to find that,” he says.
Is litigation a possibility?
“I guess it’s somewhere on the spectrum in the background,” he says. “But nobody wants that.” —Stephanie Riegel
